A Hylian in Nippon
by Seldavia
Summary: A Zelda TP Okami crossover. After getting lost in Snowpeak, Link and Midna find themselves in a foreign country. Informed that the Emperor can steer them home, they begin their journey and meet up with a white wolf and little bouncing friend.
1. Snow and Sun DogsGods

The snowy cliffs of Snowpeak were hazardous even in peaceful times; the mountain itself was a danger, with rockfalls, avalanches, snowed-over ravines, and storms that could kick up a solid wall of white out of a clear blue sky.

In the teeth of a screaming blizzard, a small gray form hunkered down against the wind, moving at the speed of an elderly snail. The little bump on its back moved, shook aside the snow that had accumulated on top of it in just a matter of minutes, and shouted down into the furry ear of a wolf.

"Where in Hyrule are you taking us?!" Midna demanded, holding tight to clumps of fur so that the shrieking wind didn't carry her off. "Aren't you following the scent of that fish?"

If Link could have answered her in his wolf form, he could have told her that he could smell nothing but reekfish regardless of which direction he turned. The fish, whose smell obviously sent even humans retching, had completely destroyed his senses.

As it was, all he could do was glare at her and turn back into the biting wind, doing his best to find some kind of shelter and hoping that he wasn't leading them in circles.

Suddenly, he felt the snow-covered ice beneath his feet shift, and a resounding crack rent the air. He leaned forward to jump back, but the ice shattered beneath him and he fell into the depths of a great ravine, howling until his head hit a rock and knocked him senseless.

The first thing he could sense when he wandered back into consciousness was the warm, flickering fire, the wood popping and tossing small embers near his nose. He slowly opened his eyes, expecting to see a Hylian woven carpet beneath him and perhaps an armchair or two in a stout wooden home.

There was no carpet or armchairs; he was in what looked like a round hut made of skins, with stout branches to hold them up. The fire sat in the middle, and around the floor were mats that appeared to be woven out of rushes, several of them showing very intricate geometric designs. He raised his head and sniffed the air; jumping to his feet and growling, he faced the source of a foreign smell to his right.

On the other side of the fire crouched another wolf, with a blue-black coat and a strange sort of mask over the top of its head. Its hair bristling, it turned to Midna, who sat next to it.

_"Well, then,"_ it said to her, _"If you be not a demon, show me that this wolf is indeed human as you say."_

Midna flipped under him and hid in his shadow; Link's form changed and he stood to face this new threat, one hand on the hilt of his sword. The wolf's lip curled back in what seemed to be a smile rather than a snarl – and then it too transformed.

A tall warrior in blue furs and tunics stood before Link, holding a sword that had been lying in front of him. The mask on top of his head now obscured his face. With his sword hand he gestured toward Link's shadow. "So your little friend was telling the truth…you were under some kind of curse. But what is she, if not a demon, if she can place it and take it away at will?"

"More or less." Link didn't move. "We're not demons or monsters, we're just lost travelers."

"Carrying a sword and shield like that? I think not. I can tell even from here they were made for a warrior; but I don't recognize the coat of arms."

Puzzled, Link brought his shield around to give the stranger a better look. "You don't recognize the seal of the Hylian royal family?"

"I'm not familiar with them. Are they related to the Emperor of Nippon?"

All Link could do was repeat part of the question. "Nippon?"

The stranger's mood softened, and he sheathed his sword. "You really are lost, aren't you?" He offered his hand. "My name is Oki. You are in Kamui, the northern lands that border Nippon."

"My name is Link." Returning the gesture, he asked, "Do you have any idea how to get to Hyrule from here?"

Link could sense Oki frowning behind his mask. "I've never heard of the place before. I found you at the foot of a ravine, near the northwestern border, as I was on patrol. If these had been different times, you might have found me more hospitable, but the infernal cold and the increase of monsters have all of our people on guard. But I could sense from the beginning that you were something more than wolf or demon, so I brought you back to my home."

"Thank you." Link's sincerity was obvious. "We probably would have frozen out there if you hadn't."

"No thanks are necessary. We deal fiercely with our enemies, but there is no need for us to be cruel to lost travelers. Now…." He paused, thinking. "Our elder is ill, and I doubt anyone in our village has heard of Hyrule either, so I can't tell you how to get back there. However, if you journey south to the capital city of Nippon, you could ask the Emperor. From what I hear, he fancies strange artifacts from the corners of the world, and if this Hyrule place exists, he probably knows someone who can bring you there."

The two of them, both in wolf form again, stood before a cave not far from Oki's hut. _"If you go through here, you should be able to get to Nippon on the other side. I've never been there, but I'm told there is a village not far from the opening. You should be able to ask for directions there."_

Once again Link expressed his thanks, and he and Midna departed.

After what seemed like hours, the two of them finally emerged in a much warmer climate, at the top of a high hill overlooking a large lake. To the back of them, they could see a wide field with winding footpaths snaking back and forth. Midna pointed to one leading through a gateway of flowering trees. "I'll bet that one leads to the village."

Link leaped off a small plateau and began running down the hill. Suddenly he drew up short, staring at the strange creature in front of him. It looked something like a big green ape, wearing some kind of cloth over its face, and carrying of all things a stringed musical instrument.

"What on earth?" Midna asked aloud. "Does it want to play us a tune?"

With of a sweep of its arm the creature flung the instrument at Link's head, and he jumped clear just in time. Crouching and growling, he could see out of the corners of his eyes an entire gang of the things approaching them.

"Well, I suppose these monsters are the same as any other," Midna shouted to Link over the increasing din. "Show them what you can do!"

Link leaped forward, snarling, teeth bared. The creature in his line of fire jumped nimbly to the side, then gave him a resounding smack on the backside that sent him rolling.

"Do I have to do everything!?" Midna summoned her power and managed to strike a few, but the monsters seemed too intelligent to willingly walk into her line of fire. "Just run!" she commanded.

Link sprinted off, but the monsters were in hot pursuit, and they called to others hidden in the hills to join in the chase. Link gave a short bark, indicating that he wanted to change to human form.

"No time! Just go, faster!" Midna demanded, but Link knew he couldn't move any faster.

Something brilliantly white flashed above them, and they heard one of the creatures scream. Whirling round, they were stunned to see a white wolf battling their pursuers. The strange appearance of the beast made Link stop in his tracks. The white wolf had odd red markings on its fur, but that wasn't nearly as noticeable as the flaming mirror on its back, a mirror that the wolf flung at the monsters and made them shatter like glass.

But there were too many monsters even for the lupine warrior, and it began to falter as the creatures tried to pile upon it. Link nodded to Midna and she changed him into human form. Link charged into the fray, sword swinging.

With the last monster slain, the white wolf sat down and regarded Link with interest as he wiped sweat from his forehead. "Wow, that was one heck of a curse. Did we get it off for you?" A small, cheeky voice came from the wolf's head, but seemed grossly mismatched to the wolf.

Squinting, Link leaned down toward the wolf's head and spied something bouncing on its nose. "What's this? A talking flea?"

"Flea!!" The tiny talker bounced furiously. "I'm no flea! I'm Issun the Wandering Artist, and a warrior to boot!" The little green person, his face somewhat obscured by a large hat, drew a tiny sword the size of a needle and flourished it in Link's face. "And the wolf that just saved your bacon is Amaterasu, the sun god!"

"Sun god?" Link regarded with some doubt the seated lupine warrior, who wagged her tail and gave him a friendly "wuff" in greeting. "Well, I have to admit I've never seen one of those before…" He gestured toward the flaming mirror.

"Oh?" Issun stopped bouncing. "You can see Ammy's true form? Well, then, maybe you're not as dumb as you look. Who are you, anyway, and what happened to the little demon riding on your back?"

"I'm not a demon!" Midna's exasperated voice came from Link's shadow. "And I'm not coming out in this harsh light!"

"Oh? Well, we can fix that, can't we?" Issun turned around to face Amaterasu, who merely looked upward. Suddenly, the sky darkened, the moon replacing the sun.

"What sort of magic is that?" Midna demanded, popping out of Link's shadow as he stood unsteadily, doubting his eyes.

"Oh, you like that, huh?" came Issun's smug reply. "Didn't I tell you Ammy's a god? But enough about us. Who are you, and what are you doing here? You don't look like you're from around here."

Link introduced himself and Midna. "We're trying to find a way back to the land of Hyrule," he explained. "A person named Oki in Kamui said your Emperor might know how to get there."

"Oh, I know Kamui," Issun said immediately. "Never heard of Hyrule, though. But you're right, the best place to go is the capital city. We're headed there ourselves…if you don't want to get eaten by more monsters, you can travel with us."


	2. A Minor Setback

"Thanks!" Grateful, Link signaled to Midna and she changed him back to wolf form.

"We'd hate to slow you down and be a nuisance," she said. "I'm sure he can keep up with you."

"Whoa!" Issun bounced onto Amaterasu's back, then tentatively moved forward until he was standing next to Link's paws. "A curse that you can lift at will! Never thought something like that could be useful!"

"It has its drawbacks," Midna informed him. "He can't talk to you like this."

Sniffing Link, Amaterasu sat down on her haunches and let forth a rousing howl. Link felt the hackles on the back of his neck rise, and then he too sat down and responded in like kind.

Issun laughed and took his place back on Amaterasu's head. "Okay, maybe he can't talk in the conventional way, but Ammy sure can understand him!"

Amaterasu gave Link a short "whuf" and started forward. He followed, right next to and just a head's length behind her.

"So, this Hyrule place," Issun called to Midna. "What's it like? You got a monster problem there too?"

"You could say that. It's a long story…but basically, a usurper king from the spirit world is causing trouble in both the spirit world and the light world."

"Well, that's a given. The close connection between the two worlds, anyway. We travel between them all the time." He turned around, facing Midna, so he could make himself heard better in the whistling wind. "We just got rid of a _big_ one…eight heads, with a taste for young maidens. Name was Orochi. Ever heard of him?"

"No. Ever heard of Zant or Ganondorf?"

"Nah. Oh well. I'm sure that if your friend can fight monsters like that, Zap and Ganon-dork must be pretty fearsome."

Midna watched as they passed fishermen and letter-carriers, who waved as they passed. "They don't seem afraid of us. If we tried to approach anyone in Hyrule, they'd scream and run in the opposite direction."

Issun shrugged. "Well, I can't speak for you in particular…but people are pretty close to nature here. They don't see any need to run from a wolf, as long as, say, the wolf isn't starving or got pups to protect. And a white wolf…well, that's pretty unusual. Plus, Ammy and I have helped out a lot of people around here. Adventuring isn't all fearsome monsters and hidden treasure, y'know. Hey, you ever go treasure-hunting in Hyrule?"

"Sort of. We usually end up using it to pay for stuff…arrows, bombs, healing potion…"

Issun laughed. "One of the benefits of being a god is that you don't have to buy things like bombs. Ammy can make 'em out of thin air."

"You mean cast a spell?"

"Kinda. It's called the Celestial Brush. Ammy can paint something and make it appear…it's sorta hard to explain." Issun leaned back against Amaterasu's ear. "Yeah, but what I really like about adventuring is the babes."

"Excuse me?"

"You know…babes! Pretty ladies! Oh, man…I wouldn't have come out of Sakuya's robe if Orochi hadn't started causing trouble. But then I think all tree sprites are babes."

Midna's expression was incredulous. "You were hiding in her _robe_?"

"Yeah. Anyway, in the same village where Sakuya lives, there's the sake-brewer, Kushi. She's a sight for sore eyes. But she's got her heart set on Susano…" Issun sighed. "I can't tell if he's more in love with her or her sake…greatest warrior who ever lived, my butt. Yeah, he killed Orochi…after Ammy here reduced him to almost nothing…"

"How many warriors are there in Nippon?" Midna demanded.

Issun wasn't paying attention. "Now, that priestess Satomi was a pretty lady, no doubt. But a demon killed her husband, and you could tell she missed him…I'm a gentleman, you know? I'm not gonna intrude on a lady's grief."

"Could've fooled me, Midna muttered.

"And Rao! Bouncy! Stacked to the _ceiling_! Mmm…melons…"

"Do you _mind_?"

"Of course, the hottest babe, hands down, has to be Queen Himiko. My heart nearly stopped when I saw her. There's just no words for it." He turned to Midna, who glared at him. "What? Just because you're so hideous yourself doesn't mean I can't talk all I like about babes…"

With a resounding smack, Midna knocked Issun off Amaterasu's head. Amaterasu snarled at her, stopped, and picked Issun up again.

"All right, I can't take this." Midna changed Link as he was in mid-stride, and he fell face forward and rolled over and over. "You talk to the little chauvinist pig."

Link scowled at his shadow. "They're nice enough to help us get home…I don't really care about his taste in women." He started running to keep up with Amaterasu, who turned around and came up behind him. He yelped in surprise as she slipped between his legs and found himself essentially riding her like a horse. Grasping her fur so that he wouldn't fall off, he asked, "Are you sure I'm not too heavy?"

Issun chuckled and hopped onto Link's shoulder. "We carried that big lug Susano across the village once…and he's a tubby guy for a swordsman. You at least look like you're still in shape." He paused. "Where was I? Oh yeah, Queen Himiko. You got a Queen in Hyrule?"

"No Queen…we have a Princess, though. Her name is Zelda."

Link couldn't see Issun's mischievous grin. "Ever meet her?"

"Well…yes, twice actually."

"Is she hot?"

Link's face burned. "Uh…well…I wouldn't…"

"What's she look like?"

"Um…tall…blonde…"

"Does she have the same funny ears you do? And what's blonde?"

"Yes…this color, only lighter." Link touched a lock of his own hair.

"Wow. That's something you don't see every day." Issun bounced back onto Amaterasu's head and faced Link. "Such a pretty lady…and you've been able to meet her twice! Jeez, with that wholesome, innocent look of yours, you must draw in the babes like bees to honey. This Zelda, you think she'd ever give you a few minutes alone with her if you got rid of Zap and Ganon-dork?"

"What?" Badly flustered, Link's face turned even redder. "I don't think that would be…appropriate…"

"Oh, c'mon," Issun teased. "Don't pretend that you're as innocent as you look. _I_ know what you're thinking. A lovely lady, an empty castle, maybe a little bit of sake…"

Issun was cut off as Amaterasu jerked up her head, opened her mouth, and snapped it shut with Issun inside. Midna howled with laughter.

Link's eyes were wide as Amaterasu slowed to a walk. "Er…was that really necessary?"

In answer, Amaterasu spit Issun onto the grass. He lay there for a brief moment, then jumped up and down in a tiny rage. "Ugh! Wolf drool! The great Issun is offended!" He drew his sword. "My honor must be avenged!"

Amaterasu simply stared and chided him with a "wuff".

"All right, fine." Issun sheathed his sword and clambered back up on Amaterasu's head. "Babes are officially off the discussion topic list." He sat for a moment and scratched his head. "Now, the Emperor…nobody'll mind that you're carrying all that hardware when you're in the city itself, there's always traveling samurai and so on. But you'll have to check your weapons at the door to the Emperor's garden. Nobody's gonna let you near him with anything sharp. Oh, and nobody'll be afraid of you in your wolf form, but I'm not sure what they'll make of Midna." Midna snorted.

They were traveling along the seacoast, and soon came to a stone dock. As Amaterasu ran up the dock and back onto the grassy part of the shore, Link could see a high wooden gate and two guards. Amaterasu stopped and looked up at them expectantly.

The guard on the right looked from her to Link. "This guy a friend of yours?"

She wagged her tail in reply.

"Oh well….you're free to come in, then, young man," the guard said to Link.

Link stepped off Amaterasu onto the grass. "Thanks for all your help."

"No problem," Issun replied. "We'd come in with you, but we've got another adventure to take care of…big Water Dragon causing problems, eating all the ships trying to dock here. We'll be down on the other side of the coastline if you need us."

"Thank you," Link said again. "And good luck!"

As Amaterasu turned tail and left, Link jogged down the hill toward the large capital city. He had never seen anything like it. Though securely gated, the city looked more open than, say, the castle town in Hyrule. Every tree in the city was in bloom. There were lots of people about, all wearing flowing clothes. He could see several of what he assumed were "samurai", as they were carrying swords, but for some reason none of them had shields. He could see them staring at his, as if they couldn't figure out what it was for.

"Hail, young warrior," an older, red-faced samurai greeted Link. "Where do you come from?"

"Hyrule."

"Never heard of it."

"Yes, well…I'm actually looking for the Emperor. I'm hoping he can help me get back there."

The samurai jerked his thumb behind him. "Over the bridge, into the aristocrats' quarters."

"Thank you." Link hurried over the bridge and found himself facing another guard, who was arguing with a line of townspeople.

"The Priestess Rao is out," he told them as if he had been repeating himself all day. "Urgent business out of town. You'll just have to wait."

"Excuse me." Link tapped him on the shoulder. "I'm looking for the Emperor."

The guard did a double-take, then stared at him until he realized he was doing so and apologized. "I take it you're a foreigner? Well, you're lucky you came now…he'd been sick for a long while. Go ahead."

Link ran through a building stacked floor to ceiling with scrolls, past a man who appeared to have a basket on his head, and returned a wave to a little girl dressed in ornate clothing. Finally, he came through a small entryway and approached the two guards.

"Foreigner here on state business?" one asked. Link nodded, too exhausted to give him the full story. "All right, but leave your sword here."

The other accompanied Link to the Emperor's house, asking his name. As they entered the wooden patio, the guard announced, "Your Highness…this is Link, an envoy from the Kingdom of Hyrule." He bowed, and Link followed suit, unsure of what was proper protocol here.

"Oh!" The Emperor, a portly little man wearing loud clothing and what appeared to be demon teeth, beckoned him forward. "It's been ages since I've heard anything from Hyrule! I was good friends with the King there…but he died some time ago, didn't he?"

"Yes, sire," Link replied. "His daughter, Zelda, now rules the kingdom."

"Ah yes…such a sweet girl…I met her when she was five. That was the last time I went to Hyrule. Last I heard, the place had erupted into war…have things improved?"

"No, sire. Actually, I had been attempting to set things right when I became lost in the mountains and wound up in Nippon."

"Gracious! The northern mountains? Yes, our border with Hyrule is to the north, but I've never heard of anyone surviving that route. When I traded with Hyrule, we did so via ship." He frowned. "But unfortunately, the Water Dragon has attacked every ship that has attempted to come in or out of our harbor." He gave Link a gracious smile. "I can see from your shield…yes, I know what it is, though our samurai don't use them…that you must be affiliated with the royal family in some way, and a great warrior to boot. If you could slay the Water Dragon, I would be more than happy to give you free passage home."

_That shouldn't be harder than anything else I've done_, Link reasoned. _Not with Zora armor, anyway_. "I'll see what I can do," he replied.

"Ah! Wonderful! Now…I've already asked a lot, but…do you have any Hylian currency with you? I'm not charging you, my boy, but it's been so long since I've been able to procure anything from Hyrule, and your money simply fascinates me! Even the smallest amount would be enough."

Link pulled a green rupee out of his purse. "Will this do?"

"Yes! Yes, that's wonderful. So quaint, jewels as currency. I've never understood how you can carry these around. Well, anyway…a thousand thanks for your help, and please return once the Water Dragon is no more. I'll send you back to Hyrule, and once it's restored to it's proper state, perhaps we can start trading again!"

Link thanked him, bowed, and left the house, taking back his sword from the guards as he went.

"This is annoying," Midna muttered from his shadow as he ran through town. "Zant will be ruler of Hyrule before we get out of here." As they passed through Rao's house, Midna changed Link into wolf form and they raced out of the town, the people exchanging puzzled glances as he zipped by.

"Now, this Water Dragon…Issun said the opposite coastline…" Midna mused, then stopped short. She could see Amaterasu running helter-skelter toward them. "Hey! You beat that Water Dragon yet?" she called.

"No time!" Issun shouted as they flashed past. "Big trouble!"

"Oh, for the love of Hyrule," Midna grumbled. "Follow them, Link!"


	3. The Encroaching Darkness

"Heeeyyy!" Midna screamed at the top of her lungs as they chased the white wolf. "Did…you…kill…the…Water…Dragon?!" She paused, watching their quarry grow even smaller in the distance. "They can't hear us…giddyup!" She touched her heels against Link's ribs.

He snarled at her, though nothing more, every bit of his energy taken up in tearing across the countryside.

"Look!" Midna exclaimed, pointing ahead of them. There was large shrine at the top of a hill, with a couple of walls surrounding it. In front of it, just ahead of Amaterasu, was a woman. She beckoned the white wolf forward, toward the gates of the shrine, and then suddenly disappeared.

"Is that a spirit?" Midna wondered out loud. "Link, you saw it, didn't you?"

Link barked in agreement.

"Why are they chasing a ghost? Look, they're going up the stairway. They must be going into the shrine!"

Link turned sharply at the shrine's gate and scrabbled up the stone stairway, past the ornate walls and through the inner gate. But when they reached the top of the hill, they saw Amaterasu's tail disappear behind the shrine itself.

"They didn't go in?" Midna frowned. "Why would they go behind the shrine rather than in it?"

Link whipped around the building and came up to a cave entrance behind it. It didn't look like a natural opening. Once through, the only thing to be seen was a water well.

"This is a funny place for a well," Midna mused. "You'd think it would be closer to the shrine. The cave almost looks like it was made for it; it doesn't go back very far into the hill."

Link reared up on his hind legs and pressed his front paws against the well, sniffing at the depths below. It smelled strangely dry, and he could clearly pick up Amaterasu's scent.

Midna peered over his shoulder. "I don't see any water." She yelped in surprise as Link jumped onto the lip of the well and leaped down to the depths below. He landed lightly down at the bottom of what appeared to be a hidden passageway.

"That was unexpected. C'mon, there's an exit up there!" Midna touched her heels against his ribs again, but he was busy sniffing at something on the ground. She turned to see a pile of bones and once brightly colored robes. She frowned for a moment, curious, then pulled at his fur. "One mystery at a time, Link. Hurry up or we'll lose them!"

Reluctantly, Link pulled away from the corpse and hurried to the ladder at the far end of the passage. He signaled to Midna to change him and then, once human, climbed up the ladder. The hatch was open; as he pulled himself out of the hole, he stared in wonderment at the riches piled up around them; ornate musical instruments, colorful paintings, and chests filled with treasure.

"All this treasure, and Issun didn't stop to check it out," Link said to Midna. "Whatever they're after must be outside."

He ran out the door, then stopped short. "Isn't that the Emperor's house?"

Midna jumped up briefly in shadow form. "Did we just go in a complete circle? Where are we now?"

Link turned around and pointed to an even larger building than the Emperor's garden. "They must have gone in there." He ran up to the entrance of the building, and upon entering, saw a young woman lying semi-conscious on the ground.

He bent down next to her. "What happened here?"

"The Queen…" she said in a slow drawl. "Queen Himiko…"

"Didn't Issun mention a Queen Himiko?" Link looked up to see a platform behind him move down from a hole in the wall. Used to strange contraptions, he jumped into it and was only mildly surprised to find himself being carried upward.

"Whoa!" Midna yelled as they reached the top of the building, and Link shielded his face from the intense heat radiating from what appeared to be boiling lava. "How did this get here?! What's holding it in?!"

Link didn't bother to ponder it. He grasped his grappling-hook and shot it across the lava pool, its sharp barbs burying themselves in the wood on the other side. It pulled him across the pool, the lava blasting him with heat as he flew over. Once on the ground again, he ran through a series of doors, then burst into a huge, brightly lit room.

The room was adorned with beautifully colored wood, arranged in artistic patterns and softly lit by numerous candles. At the far end there was a large mirror or frosted window, with an ornate pattern like flames. Below it was a table flanked with tall candlesticks, like an altar. Beneath their feet was a soft woven carpet, narrow and flanked on either side by hardwood, leading up to the altar. Lying in the middle of the room was a woman, and Amaterasu stood next to her.

Link ran forward, pulling a bottle of healing potion out of his belt pocket; but as he got closer, he could see it was of no use.

"She's…she's dead…" Issun said softly, in total disbelief.

"It was horrible." The whole group turned as one to see another woman, dressed in bright robes and wearing a priestess' prayer beads, trembling against the wall. "A terrible monster came out of nowhere, broke the magical barrier around her and attacked her…we were helpless to stop it…"

"Darn it, darn it, darn it!" Issun exclaimed. "Himiko said that as long as she had her crystal ball, she'd be okay!"

Link glanced down and saw that there was indeed a large glass ball next to the dead woman, though he couldn't tell from looking at it how it worked.

"I'm so afraid," the priestess said softly. "Our enemy is so powerful…how can mere mortals like us fight against him?"

Something about the priestess' tone irritated Link. Looking at her robes, something rustled in the back of his mind, and he signaled to Midna to change his form. He sniffed the air, picking up a familiar scent.

"What're you staring at Rao for?" Issun demanded of Amaterasu, who clearly seemed suspicious of the woman as well. "Himiko's dead! Aren't you the least bit sad?"

Suddenly Amaterasu snarled and bared her teeth at the priestess, who looked up in surprise. "Amaterasu? Has your mind been poisoned by the demon's magic as well?" She pressed her hands together and began mumbling in prayer.

Suddenly Link placed the scent, and snarled in fury. As if on cue, both he and Amaterasu leaped for the priestess, fangs bared.

Rao's head jerked up, and for a split second they could see her stare at them out of red eyes.

They both landed on nothing, and whirled round to see Rao appear behind them. "What's up with those freaky eyes, babe?" Issun demanded.

"Demon possession!" Midna shouted.

"What?!"

Rao chuckled, a harsh, grating sound. "Yes, little demon…you are correct. I suppose there is no point to continuing this charade…"

To their great surprise, the woman suddenly disappeared in a short burst of smoke, and then stood before them wearing a fox mask.

"What's with the funny mask?" Midna demanded. "Are you a part of some assassin's guild, or something?"

"Little demon, you are fighting on the wrong side," Rao told her. "Once the Dark Lord claims this land, your friends must submit to our power!"

"Dark Lord?!" Issun said in disbelief. "Ammy, where is the busty babe we know and love?"

"You never knew the true Rao," the fox-headed woman informed him. "I killed her, and took possession of this body so that I could gain access to Himiko. But I could not touch her because of that crystal ball. When you came, Amaterasu, I was afraid at first. I tried to feed you to the Water Dragon by bringing you to that sunken ship…but you found the Lucky Mallet instead, and used it to free the city of the poison I created! Lucky for me, foolish beast, you were willing to part with an object of unbelievable power!" Here she produced a strange-looking object that looked like tubes of bamboo tied together. "Finally, I could break her magic. Know that it was you, Amaterasu, that brought about Himiko's fate!"

Link and Midna had no idea what she was talking about, but one thing was clear; a seriously evil force was standing between them and the door. Neither one would have run, but they both wondered what it would take to bring this monster down in a fight.

The fake Rao picked up the crystal ball and swallowed it. "I think I'll keep this, in case any of your friends try to find my stronghold, Oni Island." She drew a peculiar-looking sword, shaped like nothing so much as jagged forks of lightning. "Now, petty deity, I shall destroy you as well!"

Amaterasu snarled and launched herself forward, slashing at the woman with her flaming mirror. Link jumped into the fray, grabbing hold of the false priestess' sword arm and trying to twist it downward.

With unbelievable strength, the demon shook free and hurled Link and Midna across the room. "I don't know what your role is in this, but if you try that again I'll cut you in half!" She leaped in the air and struck Amaterasu with her sword; the wolf half-yelped, half-snarled and jumped back.

"Little demon, indeed. Come on, Link!" As Link ran forward, Midna extended her magic field around the monster; its body shuddered as Midna's spell crackled through its body.

As it stood there, dazed, Amaterasu rammed it into the wall. The demon coughed and the blood-spattered crystal ball shot across the room. Amaterasu backed up for another strike with her mirror; but as she ran forward, she was suddenly halted as if by some invisible shield.

The creature suddenly surrounded itself with inky blackness, and as they watched, it completely lost its human form and grew nine tails, with a red-eyed fox's head and body.

Link signaled to Midna; once in human form, he ran forward and drew the Master Sword. He could feel the barrier part around him, and leaped at the fox's face, slashing downward.

The creature howled in pain and jumped backward. "What…what is this power?" it demanded.

"A sword that cannot be touched by evil," Link stated. "Oh, and by the way, Midna's not a demon."

Snorting in contempt, the fox-demon replied, "It doesn't matter. The only person who can help you find Oni Island is dead! Now you will join her as well!"

The creature raised its tails, and fired a purplish ball of energy at Link. He raised his shield just in time; it threw him backward several feet, and he rolled end over end.

Dazed, he looked up to see Amaterasu and Issun staring at something in front of them. He stood, and saw the spirit of the woman who lay on the ground, the crystal ball in her hands. He ran to Amaterasu's side.

"Oni Island will appear in Ryoshima Coast, near the place known as Watcher's Cape. You must get there before the sun sets, or it will be gone forever," she instructed.

"But the Water Dragon is dead! How are we supposed to break the barrier around it?" Issun demanded.

"I do not know…but I can sense that there is already someone waiting there who can help you. I can do no more…my time on this earth is at an end…"

And with that, the little crystal ball shattered, and the woman's spirit disappeared.

"C'mon Ammy!" Issun urged. "It's almost sundown! Let's hurry!"

Amaterasu turned tail and ran out of the room, Link following. He caught up at the lava pool, shooting over it as Amaterasu swam through the fiery goo. "What're you doing?" Issun demanded as Amaterasu struggled up onto the platform. "Get on back to Hyrule. Soon you might not have the chance!"

"Are you insane?" Link demanded as the platform moved back down toward the ground. "This great Dark Lord wants to spread darkness and demons all over the world? Hyrule's enough of a mess without another monster getting in on the act. We're on the northern border, remember? Can you imagine if it enters Hyrule, or worse, combines its force with Zant and Ganondorf?! You can't fight that thing by yourselves."

"Ammy's an excellent fighter!" Issun protested. "She just doesn't have all her powers back yet! She got messed up pretty bad a while back…but she's more than a match for that fox-wench, I tell ya!"

The platform shuddered as it reached the ground. Link shifted into wolf form. "We're coming to help you," Midna chided Issun. "You know that you'll need it."

"All right," Issun said as Amaterasu sprinted off. "But if you want to help, you gotta keep up!"


	4. Oni Island

Midna could hear Link gasping for breath beneath her as he ran. "What's Issun's problem?" she demanded. "If the world is going to be covered in total darkness, you'd think they'd want as much help as they could get."

They ran out of the city, through another gate that led down the coastline, and up to the foot of a sheer cliff. Here, both of them stared as Amaterasu jumped up the wall without any visible tools or help.

Link shifted form, used his grappling hook to get to the top of the cliff, then shifted back.

As they reached the top, a giant form exploded up from the little jetty in front of them. "Is that the Water Dragon? I thought it died!" Midna exclaimed as Link ran up to it, focusing only on keeping Amaterasu in sight. He raced across the dragon's back, noting that it stretched to a dark, sinister-looking island, with an angry red barrier extending around it on all sides; except for a tiny spot around the dragon's head.

Amaterasu stood waiting for them. "Not bad!" said Issun. He gestured with his sword to the huge, gaping moat of bubbling lava before them. "I don't think you'll be able to go any further, though. Ammy can swim in this stuff for a bit, but not high enough to keep your feet from soaking in the-"

He cut off abruptly as Link shot across the moat with his grappling hook. Looking down at Amaterasu, Issun said, "Yeah, I see you laughing at me. Wipe that grin off your face, Furball."

As Amaterasu leaped into the moat, Issun called, "Hey, see if you can find a way in!"

"I know my way around a dungeon, thank you!" Link yelled back, and began hunting around for a key. A treasure chest sat just to his left; he opened it, and lifted out…a slip of paper.

"What the heck is this?" Link asked Midna. "An I.O.U.?" The paper had calligraphy writing on it that he couldn't read.

"Sure," Midna replied. "Or a notice. 'Missing – One Key'".

"Hey!" Link yelled out to Amaterasu, as she swam in a pool of liquid fire. Waving the paper, he demanded, "Is this some kind of joke?"

"That's an exorcism slip!" Issun bellowed back, and Link was taken aback at how someone so small could make so much noise. "We'll be there in a second…just try and find a door!"

"Exorcism slip?" The words made no sense to him, but he continued hunting for keys. Within the treasure chests and scattered pots he found local currency, a bone with what appeared to be paper tied around it, a rice ball, and an inkstone. "What is this junk?" he grumbled. "None of it is going to help us get in the door."

"I don't think the door _has_ a lock." At Midna's words, Link walked up to the huge double-doors he had passed several times. Perhaps she was right; he couldn't see any padlock.

Suddenly, two giant statues that looked like a cross between a centaur and an ogre rumbled to life. "It doesn't need a lock!" Link yelled, running back and holding his shield up in front of his face as one of them lunged at him with a club. The impact threw him backward against the wall.

Link slashed at his attackers, but they both had huge stone shields that made his look like tinfoil. "Their backs are unprotected!" Midna shouted at him. "Go around them!"

"I know, I know!" Link rolled between them and lunged at their backsides, but they moved with a quickness that belied their size and whirled round to face him again. One of them swung its club in the air, then brought it down so hard that it cracked the stone beneath Link's feet and he fell to his knees. The other one rammed into his side, and he cracked his head against the wall.

With the room spinning, blood running down his forehead into his eyes, Link struggled to his feet to find himself penned in a corner by the demons. As he raised his sword for a desperate last stand, he heard Issun's voice pierce through the roaring in his ears. "The exorcism slip! Use it, you numbskull!"

"What?"

"The slip of paper! Slam it on the ground!"

Without thinking about whether or not this made sense, Link did exactly as he was told. Suddenly the entire chamber lit up with a blazing glow, which radiated out from the slip of paper, the monsters bellowing and then falling to the ground. Amaterasu leaped between them and finished them off with her mirror.

"Geez…you sure you can handle this?" Issun asked, as Amaterasu whined with concern and licked at the wound on Link's head.

"I'm fine," Link replied angrily. He pulled a little bottle of red liquid out of his pocket and drank it.

Issun whistled as the jagged cut in Link's scalp knitted, mended and healed. "Wow, I gotta get me some of that."

Link noticed Amaterasu was limping. "I can give her some, if she needs it…"

Issun bounced toward the paper-wrapped bone, lying with the other items Link had collected, scattered on the ground. "Hey, this works just as well. Open up, Ammy." As the wolf chewed it noisily, Issun offered Link the rice ball. "You shouldn't fight on an empty stomach."

"Thanks…"

The little group passed through the double doors, to find themselves in a small entryway. At one side a small green imp sat under an umbrella. Link drew his sword and ran toward it.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Issun shouted after him, and Amaterasu ran between them.

The imp cowered, its arms over its head. "You haven't come to rob us poor folk of Oni Island, have you? I'm no good at settling scores…except, perhaps, with a bit of business!" He laid out a cloth full of small items. "You can have anything for half-price…just don't attack me, please!"

As Link stared, Issun and Amaterasu purchased more bones and a second inkstone. Afterward, Issun hopped onto Link's shoulder. "Not all of the monsters are bad sorts," he confided in him. "Met one that was a cook, a decent guy though a little strange…and as it was a friend of ours his master wanted to eat, we had a few differences. But, generally, if you don't bother 'em, they don't bother you." He hopped back onto Amaterasu's head.

"What next?" Link asked. There were two doors on either side of the hallway. "Do you think we should split up?"

"Sure," Issun burrowed into Amaterasu's fur. "We'll make it a race. First one to find the fox-faced wench wins!"

"That isn't what I-" Link began, but Amaterasu had already bolted off. "All right, fine. Let's see how far Amaterasu can get without thumbs." He ran off to the door on the other end.

The first thing that caught their eye was what seemed like an endless array of sawblades, moving up, down, and in circles, in and out of the woodwork. A small sign stood next to the entryway (apparently, you had to go through the saws), and Link walked up to it, thinking it had instructions for turning them off.

It didn't. Instead, there was a long list of rules for "play" in the hallway of saws, and it ended with, "The Chamber of Torment is for the fun and enjoyment of everyone, so please be considerate to others."

Midna and Link looked at each other.

"That's the strangest thing I've ever seen," Midna said finally. "And I've seen quite a lot."

"You'd think this idea of 'fun' would have significantly reduced the demon population." Link watched the saws for several minutes, then darted into the fray.

Three near-misses, one ripped sleeve, and a gash in his boot later, he emerged on the other side. They looked around the large, high-ceilinged room, with braziers on the four corners of some kind of reflecting pool.

Suddenly they were blinded by a flash and a puff of smoke, and with a whirl of wings, a demon spun up toward the ceiling. Used to odd-looking creatures, Link was still taken aback to see the winged, clawed monster with an old man's head and a pipe in its mouth.

The thing dived several times, and each time Link took a swing at it. On the fourth or fifth dive, Link aimed wide and cut the pipe instead of the creature.

It stopped short, then shut its eyes tight and began rumbling like an awakened volcano. "I think you made it mad," Midna said uneasily.

With a sudden roar it belched fire upon Link, who managed to raise his shield only in time. Pandemonium ensued.

"Let's get out of here!"

"I can't find the door!"

"Aaaah! Acid! It's spitting acid!"

"Quit swinging at it! Just _leave_!"

"I can't see where I'm going!"

Link scrambled on all fours to a sliding door at the opposite end of the room, shoved it open, and then slammed it shut behind him.

"Ha ha ha!" Link looked up to see Amaterasu sitting in front of him, Issun bouncing on her nose in glee. "Got in a tangle with a Tengu, eh? Ha ha! Your eyebrows got singed off!"

Link touched his hand to his forehead and winced.

"Okay, next up. We gotta get through those sliding doors. Ammy and I keep choosing the wrong one and winding up back here. You any good at puzzles?"

"Yes," Link replied, but he was not in the mood for puzzles. The sliding doors were made of paper. He unsheathed his sword.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Issun called after him, frowning with disgust at the shredded paper doors lining the floor.

"This isn't a game!" Link yelled back. "World of darkness, evil fox creature, dead Queen…remember?"

Issun withheld comment as Amaterasu followed Link.

They came to a stop at the next room. "What on earth?" Issun wondered out loud.

For the most part, the room didn't look all that different from what one might find in a high-level retainer's house. Rich wood walls and paneling, huge stone statues, intricate paintings hanging on the walls. It was probably the blue lights streaming out of the statues' heads that had set him off, thin intense light that traveled all over the room in many different directions.

"Lasers," Link grumbled.

"You know what they are?"

"Yes…but I'm not sure how to turn them off. The ones at home I could shoot with arrows, and the glass that the light came out of would break. I don't see anything like that on these."

"Are they that dangerous?"

"They'll burn you as good as fire…better, even, if they're really strong…"

"Well…" Issun mused, "I guess we'll have to dodge 'em!" Amaterasu launched herself forward.

Link permitted himself a few choice curses as he maneuvered his way across the room, trying to keep his timing right. "What's wrong with that little bug?" he asked Midna.

Issun overheard him. "Hey, if you want to be an adventurer, you gotta live dangerously!" He laughed. "Leap before you think, that's our motto!"

"You can keep it," Link muttered. "My life's dangerous enough as it is," he shouted back. "I'm not going to act reckless when I have people depending on me!"

Issun was silent for the next several minutes.

Once out of the laser room, they came across nothing more than a little slip of paper floating in midair. Link was about to pass by when it spoke. "Good evening, sir. I see you are in the company of my honored competitor!"

Link turned to Issun as Amaterasu came up behind him. "I understand if you want to leave the demons alone," he said, "but what possessed you to _play_ with them?"

"Forgive me, sir," the little piece of paper addressed Link. "I am actually a gatekeeper…but we get so few visitors, and the one called Ammy is such a good racer…one thing led to another…"

"Yeah, don't knock Tobi," Issun chided Link. "He's been giving us a run for our money, that's for sure."

"Indeed, Link, if I may address you by your name," Tobi said. "You must be able to beat me in a race if you wish to proceed. Now, as the path in front of us contains several spiders with deadly venom, a hallway of needles, and a platform that throws you into a bottomless pit should you fall behind, you can see it is quite a formidable challenge."

Link thought it best not to say anything at this point. He motioned to Midna and she shifted him into wolf form.

"Ah! Our newest challenger has hidden skills, I see!" Tobi said, his voice keen and eager. "So, are we all ready? Yes? All right…One, two, three, go!"

The two wolves raced side by side, overtaking Tobi easily in the first few strides. But there wasn't enough room for the two of them. As Amaterasu tried to jump over Link, a passing blade sliced her left paw and she snarled, furious. Link slowed and turned, concerned, and nearly fell victim to the pincers of a gigantic spider. As he grabbed its head and struggled to hold it to the ground in his jaws, Amaterasu shot ahead of him.

He followed right behind, and suddenly Midna squealed. Huge, extremely sharp needles began to erupt out of the sides of the walls. Link put on an extra bit of speed, but couldn't pass Amaterasu in such a close space. He ran between the needles just in time, but they closed in on the fur of his tail and he yelped as they held him back. Tobi passed him and flew through the door at the end.

"Link, get outta there!" Issun yelled at the top of his lungs.

The gate slammed shut and the trapdoor yawned open. Link fell through with a howl. Amaterasu barked and clawed at the gate.

Suddenly a metal barb shot up through the opening, and buried itself in the roof. Issun, trying not to let on how relieved he was, watched as the human Link emerged from the pit. "Showoff!" Issun called gleefully.

"Oh, my!" Tobi exclaimed. "I have to confess I've never seen anything like that before! I might as well let you enter." He opened the gate.

"Huh, not much of a gatekeeper, are ya?" Issun asked in jest.

"Yes, well…I have to confess that this is where we must part," Tobi said with a hint of sadness. "You have bested me at all our races…I will let you go on, but this is as far as I can go. I have not fulfilled my duty, so my existence, small as it is, must end here."

"What? What do you mean, Scrap? If I'd known this would kill you, I wouldn't have…"

"Do not be sad, good sir! I was created as a servant of demons; may I not use my small life as I choose? Our competition gave me great joy, and with that, I bid you farewell!"

The demonic glow disappeared from the scrap of paper, and as it hit the ground, it disappeared in a little burst of flowers.

"Well, that was depressing. Poor Scrap." Issun sniffed a little. Link had to admit he couldn't help feeling for the strange little demon he'd just met.

He could hear Midna sniff beneath him. "What a shame," she said. "It's terrible when your ruler forces you to only serve one purpose."

"Well, time to move on, I guess," Issun said finally. "I think the roof of this place is just up ahead. Let's go get that fox-headed wench!"

They emerged from a large window onto a balcony, and climbed a narrow, rotting flight of stairs to the roof. Aside from two gigantic fish statues that spilled liquid fire from their mouths into basins, the place was deserted.

Issun leaped off Amaterasu's head and drew his sword. "The great Issun's gonna avenge Queen Himiko! Come on out, you fox-wench!"

Silence. Link scanned the perimeter of the roof. "Sometimes, when I come to the end of a dungeon," he told Issun, "I have to trip something for the guardian of the place to show up. Not all of them will attack you head-on. Some like to try and ambush you."

"Oh? I guess you have a point." Issun took a deep breath and bellowed, "Heeeeeyyyyy! You ugly, mangy, flea-bitten pile of dung! Come out and fight! Or do you fear the great god Amaterasu?" He ended his taunt with a series of chicken noises.

Amaterasu threw her head back and howled. The roiling black clouds parted, and a series of stars could be seen directly above them. As Amaterasu stared at it, more stars suddenly appeared in the constellation.

Looking warily at the stars, Midna commented, "You know, I've never been much of an astronomer, but those stars together kind of look like…"

An ominous tone from an invisible gong rent the air, and suddenly the stars winked out and fell to the ground in the form of a nine-tailed fox, each of its tails carrying a mask like the one it wore once again over its face.

"There was no need for you and your human friend to come to me, foolish minor god," said the fox to Amaterasu. "I would have hunted you down eventually. My master, Lord Yami of the underworld, has given me Ryoshima Coast to rule."

"Watch what you say to the great god Amaterasu," Issun shot back. "And I definitely don't remember giving you my OK to rule over Ryoshima Coast!"

In reply, the nine-tailed fox crouched and rushed Amaterasu, who jumped out of the way just in time.

Link fired arrows at the fox. No effect. He tied bombs to the arrows and fired those. No effect. He used his grappling hook to launch himself onto the fox's back, and was immediately bucked off. Link fell to the ground hard, dazed.

The fox reared up in front of him, silhouetted against the now-storming black sky. It held up a serrated sword. Link raised his shield, knowing there was little chance he could deflect such a huge weapon.

Suddenly a jagged shaft of lightning zigzagged down and struck the upraised sword, dealing the fox a mind-numbing shock. It burst into ten different human-looking demons, all with fox masks. "Nice shot, Ammy!" Issun shouted as they ran past Link.

Link tried his bombs again, and was relieved to see three of the fox-humans dissipate into a burst of flowers. Amaterasu finished off three more with her mirror.

The demon fox reformed, this time with only three tails. As it raised its sword, Amaterasu stood uncertain for a moment, then suddenly was thrown backward.

"That fox-head knows the Celestial Brush too!" Issun exclaimed. "We gotta finish her off quick, Ammy!"

The fox aimed for another blow at the dazed wolf-god. Suddenly a boomerang clipped its nose and it snarled, whirling to face Link, the boomerang in his hand. It raised the sword again, and this time was shocked once more with a bolt of lightning.

As the demon split apart, Link and Amaterasu attacked the fox-humans with mirror and bombs. With just one tail left, the fox reformed, without its mask.

"We've got her now, Ammy!" Issun exclaimed. The old fox, now desperate, rushed its attackers.

Link shifted into wolf form, and ran to Amaterasu's side. She turned to look at him, and gave him a hearty "whuf". They both faced the fox-demon, and as it rushed once more, they leaped as one.

Each wolf clamped its jaws on a side of the fox-demon's neck. It howled in agony, then fell to the ground and dissipated into a cloud of black smoke.

"The great Amaterasu triumphs once again!" Issun exclaimed. He hopped up onto Link's shoulder as Link changed form and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "You weren't so bad, yourself."

Link smiled wearily, but his smile faded as he watched the black smoke twist and boil, floating off to the North. "It's headed towards Hyrule," he said, his heart sinking.

Issun bounced back to Amaterasu's head, serious for once. "There's quite a lot north of here," he said. "It may not be going to Hyrule, but to the northern wastes of Nippon. Still…I guess we'll have to follow it, it's clear that we haven't eradicated the demons' influence completely."

Suddenly they felt the island quake beneath them. "I don't think this island can survive without its master," Issun yelled over the rising din. "Let's get out of here!"

They tumbled down the eaves of the fortress, scrambled down the rocks, and onto the dragon's head. As they sprinted across, the island behind them dissipated into a stream of flower petals.

To Link's surprise, the dragon changed form and appeared next to them as a woman, who looked vaguely Zoran as she had some fish-like features. "Thanks, Otohime!" Issun said to her.

"Amaterasu," she addressed the wolf, apparently ignoring the other companions. "You must hurry to the north, as I fear the demon's power has only shifted, not disappeared."

"Yeah, we know," Issun told her.

"I must return," she said, and turned to the shore. "Good luck!" With that she leaped into the sea.

Amaterasu came up to Link and licked his hand, wagging her tail. She looked up at him expectantly. "I think Ammy's taken a shine to you," Issun told him. "I have to admit you're a better swordsman than I first thought."

Link stroked her head and she whined in pleasure. "What now?" he asked. "Shall we press on to the north?"

"I think we need to take a breather first," Issun said after a moment of thought. "Replenish supplies, get a good night's sleep. I know just where to go, too. Why don't you come with us to Kamiki Village? Old lady Orange makes nice cherry cakes, and Kushi can make sake that could slay a demon. In fact, it did." He laughed.

"What's sake?" Link asked.

"What, are you kidding?" Issun made a mischievous little giggle. "Wait till Susano hears about the warrior that doesn't need sake. We're in for some fun, aren't we, Ammy?"


	5. A Short Detour

Kushi pulled herself up and leaned backward to get the kinks out of her back. The sun hung low in the sky, and she only had half her field finished. She'd have to finish planting the rice tomorrow.

She looked out toward the village entrance and saw a white shape bobbing toward her. "Snowy!" she exclaimed, then looked again; someone was riding on the wolf's back.

As Amaterasu trotted up to her, the young man on the white wolf's back jumped off. "Hey, babe," Issun greeted her. "We brought a friend."

Kushi looked over the young man, barely more than a boy from the look of him. He had funny pointed ears, wore a strange green tunic, rather tight-fitting by Nippon standards, and he carried a sword on his back. "A fellow adventurer?" she asked. "I'm pleased to meet you. My name is Kushi." She gave him a little bow.

The young man returned it. "My name is Link."

"You must have come from far away." She was dying to know where such a strange-looking person came from, but didn't want him to know that she'd rarely gone out of her own village. "You must be tired. Would you like some sake? I'll finish up here and bring you some. Why don't you go meet Susano? He'd love to meet another swordsman…and he can never get enough sake, either."

"You can say that again," said Issun. "C'mon, Link, let's go say hi to the world's greatest warrior…ha ha ha."

Amaterasu led them over the bridge and behind Susano's house, where the portly swordsman practiced his technique. He gave his sword a little twirl upon seeing the wolf and turned to face them.

"You have returned for a bit, Brother?" he said to Amaterasu. Issun tried very hard not to snigger; he'd figured out that the wolf was a god, but hadn't managed to understand that Amaterasu was female. Not that it was easy to tell. "I see you brought a friend with you. I am Susano, the greatest warrior that ever lived!" He made a few sweeps of his sword for emphasis.

Link stared. He couldn't help it. The "greatest warrior that ever lived" had a pot belly, a lack of hairs on the top of his head, and a red nose from too much drinking. He turned to Issun. "This is the one that killed Orochi?"

"_With help_," Issun pointed out, but Susano was off and running.

Huffing, he said to Link, "I did indeed; you can ask Kushi if you don't believe me. I rescued her from the evil serpent. Even if you are just a boy, you should know some manners when addressing your betters!"

That did it. Link had been agonizing over his mediocre swordsmanship ever since he had entered this bizarre country, painfully aware that Amaterasu had to assist him numerous times. He was not about to be talked down to by a balding old man, carrying a wooden sword that had a flower growing out of it!

"You talk much, sir, but as of yet I haven't seen any proof of your skill." Link tried to keep his voice level. Drawing the Master Sword, he added, "Would you like to test me?"

"For crying out loud, we came to relax!" Issun yelled at the two of them, Amaterasu trying to push in between them. "Save the swordplay for the monsters!"

Susano made a little bow and motioned toward his training dummies. "Perhaps the boy swordsman would like to cut his teeth on my training ground. Now, watch the magic of Susano-style swordsmanship, and see if you're still up to the challenge!"

Susano charged at the dummies, neatly slicing each in half with one stroke of the sword. "There now!" he exclaimed, folding his arms. "What did you think of that?"

Link nodded. "I have to admit I didn't think you could do that kind of damage with a wooden sword."

Susano dragged more dummies from the back of his house and set them up. "Your turn, young one."

Link decided to let actions speak louder than words. He brought his sword hand back, then let loose on the first dummy, spinning around in the air. On the second he leaped high and brought the sword down hard, splitting the dummy in two. The last one he knocked over with his shield, then jumped up and twitched his sword downward, jamming the blade full force in the chest. He stood, flicked his sword a few times, sheathed it, and turned to Susano.

Susano picked his mouth up off the ground and made another little bow. "I see there is more to you than meets the eye! How lucky that my brother has met you."  
Kushi called from the other side of the bridge. "Susano, come and bring your friend with you! I've invited some of the others, if you don't mind."

The handful of village inhabitants crowded around to get a look at the newcomer. The introductions came so fast, Link couldn't remember most of them. An old woman pressed a sweet-smelling cake in one hand, and Kushi placed a tiny cup of something in another.

The liquid looked like water. Link sniffed it; it had a sharp, almost medicinal smell. Susano gave him a sharp look. "Don't look so suspicious. Kushi's sake is the best in all of Nippon. We used it to slay that serpent, but don't worry…all it'll do to you is maybe give you a headache tomorrow." The little group laughed.

It was such a small amount, Link doubted it could hurt him in any way. He downed the entire thing, then gasped, coughed and spluttered.

More laughter. "Eat some of that cake, dearie, it'll take away some of the sting," the old woman advised him. He bit into it, then devoured it, realizing only then just how hungry he was.

Issun addressed the little group, telling everyone what had happened since he had Amaterasu had last been in the village. In a very short time Link began to feel slightly strange; the houses and trees seemed to soften a little, and nothing seemed to matter as much. As Issun finished his story, Link found himself enthusiastically answering questions about his home village, his quest, and Hyrule itself. The villagers all listened with eager ears about the legend of the Triforce, the Princess Zelda, and the dark forces that he had battled.

The moon rose high in the sky; one after the other the villagers excused themselves, saying they had to work the next day. Finally only Susano and Kushi were left. They both bowed, and Susano said, "That's the best story I've heard in a dog's age. Good luck on your quest!"

"Where are you staying the night?" Kushi asked.

"Oh, we've got a special place tucked away," Issun told her. "Someplace where nobody'll bother us."

The pair smiled at each other; they knew what he was talking about. "Stop by my house for breakfast tomorrow," Kushi said, and she and Susano turned and left.

Link stood, and nearly fell over. Figuring he was more tired that he thought, he grasped Amaterasu's fur as she led them up the hill. Once they reached the top, Issun addressed Link's shadow. "You can come out now."

Midna popped out, scowling at Issun. "These people seemed pretty used to strange circumstances. I'm not hiding next time."

"Relax. Here's someone else I want you to meet." They passed through a set of torii and walked up to a huge tree, blooming with pink blossoms. Strangely, the little hole at the bottom began to glow as they passed through.

"Welcome, Okami Amaterasu," a soft, lilting voice spoke from above, and Link raised his head in consternation to see a woman floating in midair, seemingly dressed in petals and little else.

"Are you a fairy?" he asked stupidly.

"I am Sakuya, the spirit of this tree," she informed him. "I have never seen one such as you, and my roots spread far over Nippon."

"He's not from Nippon, babe," Issun told her. "He's from someplace called Hyrule, north of here. Ever hear of it?"

"I have not," she turned to the wolf. "Okami Amaterasu…I still sense an evil power to the north. Your quest is not yet finished."

"Yeah, tell us something we don't know. We're just going to rest here a bit, okay? C'mon, Ammy."

Amaterasu walked through the hole, and Link and Midna looked around in surprise. They seemed to have walked through some sort of portal into another world, though it was clearly part of Nippon.

"Welcome to our little hideaway," Issun said. "The place where we're gonna sleep is just ahead."

Midna bounced forward with a happy chuckle. "It's almost as nice as the Twilight!" she exclaimed, floating to and fro and examining the river, the bridges, the sparkling stars overhead. Link smiled, happy that she was happy, but did little else; he was beginning to feel ill.

Finally they entered another cave, where the moon shone down through a hole in the ceiling onto a statue. It looked a great deal like Susano, and it was holding a sword in the air. "This is Nagi, the original protector of Kamiki Village," Issun explained. "He's apparently Susano's ancestor, and locked Orochi away a hundred years ago."

Amaterasu lay down on the ground; Midna yawned and stretched, and rested her head on the wolf's side. Link lay on the other side of Amaterasu; he petted the wolf's fur for a long time before finally settling down to sleep.

Midna awoke with a start; something had bumped her in the head. She looked up groggily to see Link muttering in his sleep. "I don't…Zelda…I'm sorry…."

"What's all the ruckus?" Issun demanded. Amaterasu lifted her head and turned to look at Link, still mumbling names they recognized from his talk about his home village.

Midna reached over and shook his shoulder. "Hey, wake up. You're having a bad dream."

He didn't rouse. "I tried…no…please don't kill her!"

Amaterasu whined and licked his face. His eyes fluttered open and he awoke with a start. His face switched from relief to disappointment in a split second. "Oh…we're still here," he muttered groggily.

Midna rubbed her eyes. "You've just been having nightmares. Go to sleep, we're going to start heading north tomorrow."

Link sighed and lay back down to sleep. He heard Issun mutter "homesick" but he was too tired to start a fight. Amaterasu nuzzled his face, and in a few minutes he drifted off into dreamless sleep.


	6. Waka Waka Waka

**OK, a brief note before we begin. To answer a frequently asked question…there will probably not be any romance in this story, though it is much more likely in the sequel (yes, of course there will be a sequel! Ammy and Issun have to repay Midna and Link for helping them, don't they?). There also may be some human Ammy in the sequel (the Hylians seem to be less tolerant of wolves than the people of Nippon…)**

Link couldn't sleep. Plagued by endless nightmares, he left the others sleeping soundly in the Cave of Nagi and walked briskly all the way back to Kamiki Village's entrance. It was perhaps a few hours before dawn, and the demons that haunted Nippon were out in full force in the areas beyond the village's borders.

Link drew his sword as a group of imps caught sight of him. Now was the chance to get in some practice with these new adversaries, and perhaps to mend his damaged pride. He channeled his anger, frustration, and anxiety as he battled the strange denizens of this new world.

He did not wish to stray far from the village, knowing the others would become upset if they realized he was gone. Still, even in the hills next to the lake, a wide number of bizarre creatures challenged him. The imps seemed almost playful, taunting him with a smack to their own backsides, and accosting him with flying stringed instruments and drums that shook the ground beneath his feet. Closer to the lake, he fought dead fish dressed in tattered kimono, which alternately threw sharp scales at him or grabbed him bodily and threatened to drown him in the lake.

When the gray light of dawn began to emanate from the horizon, he stopped fighting, out of breath but at least feeling that he could stand on his own feet again. He sheathed his sword and walked back toward the village entrance.

As he passed under a gigantic blossoming tree, the haunting tunes of a flute seemed to float through the air on their own. In consternation, Link looked around for the player, his hand on the hilt of his sword, expecting another imp.

"Bonjour!" Link's head jerked up at this strange greeting and his eyes rested upon a man in outlandish clothes. He wore shoes that made him look taller than he really was, a funny tunic with silly poufs on the front, and a hawk's-head helmet from which white hair (was it hair? Link couldn't tell) flowed. His arms crossed, the man held in one hand the flute that he had been playing. "Greetings, stranger!" he said to Link. "You seem a bit out of place, if you don't mind me saying so. I am Waka, the gods' gift to man!"

Nonplussed, Link spluttered. "I didn't know the circus was in town."

The man's demeanor changed completely. He leaped down from a high branch and landed softly on the ground next to Link. "You mock forces far greater than you could ever imagine, mon cherie." He placed his hands over his flute, and drew a thin sword from it. "Apologize, or Pillow Talk and I shall teach you some manners!"

Link laughed openly. "You named your sword _Pillow Talk?!_ Mine is just called the 'Master Sword', but it's named that for good reason…only a true master can wield it. It'll hack your 'pillow sword' in two!"

Waka drew his other sword from its scabbard, and whistled both around his head in a quick demonstration. "Bring it on, baby!"

Waka charged him, and Link met the charge easily with his shield, then spun and slashed at Waka. Startled, Waka jumped back, then summoned three swords out of the air and launched them at Link. Link could only dodge two, but the cut from the third didn't faze him. Now he was really mad, and he was not about to let this weird stranger cut into the confidence he had finally managed to build.

He and Waka crossed swords several times, each one driving the other back. Waka knocked Link over with a bizarre spinning move, flying through the air. "You can still apologize, my friend," Waka told him, "otherwise, I'm afraid you will meet your match in the Tao Master Waka!"

Link didn't know what a Tao Master was, but he didn't care. Seething, he threw out his own credentials. "The Hero of Hyrule doesn't back down for silly carnival men!" he shouted. "I've defeated many hideous creatures since I came here. You can't throw me from my mission to raise the darkness from Hyrule and restore our fallen Princess!" With a furious yell, he charged Waka once more. Waka blocked the charge with his sword, and the two stood locked in combat.

Waka's eyes lit up and he smiled knowingly. "From Hyrule, are you? You're a long way from home, my friend."

Link's eyes widened and he jumped back. He held his sword down to signal a break in fighting. "You know Hyrule?"

Waka transformed one sword back into a flute and sheathed the other. "Indeed…I know a great many things the average person in Nippon does not. Hmmm…how very interesting…"

"What's interesting?" Link demanded.

"Well, you may not know this, but I can see into the future. Would you like me to tell you your fortune? I can give you a hint about how to get home." Link nodded, and Waka made a curious little flourish with his hands as he spoke. "You can ask the Emperor for a ship, but he will not have the one you need for this trip!"

Link blinked, then frowned. "That doesn't sound very promising."

"It will make perfect sense in time," Waka told him. "I have a feeling we will meet again in the future. Oh, and by the way…say hello to Amaterasu and her little bouncing friend for me." He leaped into the air.

"What?! Wait, how do you know Amaterasu and Issun?" Link shouted after him, but Waka had disappeared.

Disgusted, Link shrugged and walked back to the village. It was now past sunrise, and as he entered Kamiki he could see Amaterasu running toward him, Midna on her back. "Where have you _been_?" Midna demanded. "We've been looking all over for you! And you're wounded…what have you been doing?!"

"I couldn't sleep," he explained. "I went out into the fields and met…this weird guy…with an even weirder name I can't remember…"

"Weird guy?" Issun asked. "What did he look like?"

Link scratched his head. "He looked like some sort of carnival clown, with big poofy buttons on the front of his shirt…and some kind of bird helmet…oh, and get this, he named his sword _Pillow Talk_…"

Midna giggled, and Issun groaned. "Ugh, sounds like that half-bit prophet Waka. Did you fight him?"

"Briefly. He stopped when he found out I was from Hyrule. Then he gave me some nutty prophecy, something like 'You need a ship to get home but the Emperor won't have it'…"

"Well, as much as I hate to say it, the freak's silly fortunes have always been right," Issun told him. "So, I'm willing to guess that the Emperor won't be able to get you home after all."

"Where are we going to get a ship outside of Ryoshima Coast?" Midna demanded. "Seems to me the capital city was the biggest one in Nippon. Who would have a better ship than the Emperor?"

Sighing, Link replied, "I guess it doesn't matter at this point. We promised to help Amaterasu and Issun, so maybe we'll run across something as we go."

"Well, it's a long journey to the lands up north, so let's have some breakfast first," Issun said. "C'mon, Susano invited us and the other villagers to his place for a little goodbye meal."

"Yeah…_all_ of us are invited," Midna said pointedly. "Susano even said he'd dim the house a bit so I don't have to hide in the shadows. Nice to know these people are a little less jumpy than the Hylians."

The travelers ate rice and fish with the little group from Kamiki, and Susano entertained them all with an account of his battle with Orochi. "This is the twentieth time I've heard it, and it changes each time, but I don't mind," Kushi said to Link and Midna with a wink.

After breakfast was over, they all gathered outside to say goodbye to the travelers. Kushi handed Link a small bottle. "This is the very last bit of my Thunder Brew, which we used to finally end Orochi's curse. You can drink it yourself, or use it on one of your adversaries."

Link thanked her, secretly wondering if Zant would explode if he drank it. The adventurers waved goodbye, and left the village.

Link shifted into wolf form once outside. "How are we going to get up north?" Issun asked. "It's a heck of a long way, and kind of hard to get there."

"Don't worry. Link and I found a good route a while ago. Just follow us," Midna instructed as Link ran up the hill, then climbed a cliff onto a higher plateau. He trotted to an odd-looking pile of rocks, which upon closer inspection appeared to be a ruin of some kind. Link halted at the door and waited for the other two to catch up. "We originally came from the northern lands, along Hyrule's border," Midna explained. "This should take us back there."

"Sounds good. Lead on!" Issun urged.


	7. Return to the Tundra

"Yow, this wind is cold!" Issun exclaimed as they finally exited the long tunnel and stepped onto the snows of Kamui. "Ammy, you mind if I burrow down into your fur a little? I know this place is never exactly tropical, but it's worse than I remember!"

"Worse than you remember?" Midna turned to him. "You've been here before?"

"Yeah…long story…it's been a while. If I knew a place where we could get out of this wind I'd take you there, but I don't…"

"We know a place. We met somebody here when we first came to Nippon." She patted Link, who trotted off in the direction of Oki's hut. The little home was dark, the ashes cold in the fire pit. "Looks like he hasn't been here in a while," she commented.

"Well, at least it's out of the wind," Issun said. "Hey, Link, since you've got hands and maybe a flint, would you mind lighting up some fire for us?"

"I can do it," Midna said as Link shifted form. She concentrated a bit of magic onto the charred logs, and a hearty fire flared up from the pit. They all crouched around the fire for a while, not saying anything, letting it warm them.

"I'm not looking forward to going back out there," Link said as he watched the storm rage outside the door. "Issun, do you have any idea where we should be heading?"

"Nope. There's a village a fair distance from here though, maybe we can ask the people there if they've seen anything out of the ordinary. They can change shape, like you." He looked around the shelter. "In fact, I think some of the stuff in here belongs to Oki."

"You know him?" Midna asked. "He's the first person we met when we came here."

"Yeah, kind of. What can I say, I play well with others…but we'll never reach the village in this storm without freezing. I'm pretty sure I saw a cursed zone up ahead on the path, too."

"A what?" Link asked.

"A cursed zone. Ammy and I have been cleaning up Nippon since long before you guys came here. That Orochi messed up the place when he woke up, and Ammy and I have been restoring everything as we go. Though, really, I guess that proves we're moving in the right direction."

Link nodded toward the door. "The storm seems to be dying down a bit. Maybe if we wait a bit longer, we can break out during a lull and try to make it to that village you mentioned." He squinted through the doorway. "Hey, there's somebody out there!" He ran out the door, Midna behind him.

"Link, get back here! You don't want to touch that cursed zone!" Issun and Amaterasu rushed after him.

As Link ran out, the storm seemed to hem him in, but he could see the outline of someone nearby. He called out to the person, trying to follow.

Issun watched as Link stumbled into the cursed zone. He heard Link's yell of pain, watched as a strange glow appeared on one hand. Link changed to wolf form – unconsciously it seemed – and backed out of the cursed zone.

"Be careful!" Midna scolded him. "This is different from the dark magic back home." She pulled him back toward Amaterasu, who had picked up the scent of the mystery individual and followed it to another small shelter.

Midna changed Link back into human form and he shouted at the door. "Anybody home?"

A voice bade them enter, and they saw a man wearing the garb of the Emperor's guards. "Hey, I know you! The apple guy!" Issun exclaimed.

The man smiled. "Oh, hello again. I was just about to leave, and continue my adventures as a wandering archer. You can stay here if you like."

"Thanks!" Issun and Link said in unison as he departed.

"Hey, what's with the mark on your hand?" Issun demanded of Link after Midna had started another fire.

"Oh?" Link examined it. "I've always had that…though it hadn't started glowing till recently, just before I met Midna. It's the royal seal of Hyrule, the Triforce."

"I know what it is; you told us. I didn't think you were related to the royal family. Why didn't you tell us about this when we were in Kamiki?"

"I'm not related…"

"Then what's it doing on your hand?"

"Didn't I mention that? I don't remember much of that night in Kamiki…"

Midna giggled. "Link's just modest. He's the bearer of the Triforce of Courage."

"What! Why didn't you say this before? We might've taken you more seriously!"

"Wuff," said Amaterasu.

"Yeah, what Ammy said," Issun sat back on her head and thought. "If you've got a piece, then it must have been broken and is being held by two others."

"Zelda must have the Triforce of Wisdom," Link said. "I know she has a piece. The last one is being held by Zant…or someone acting through him."

Issun bounced out the door. "Well, Mr. Chosen Hero, mind helping us clear out this cursed zone?" He motioned toward the black undulating mass surrounding a huge boulder. "We're getting some thundersnow…that give you any ideas, Ammy?"

Amaterasu wagged her tail, then pulled Link outside with her, nosing at his bow. He took it out, looking at her quizzically.

"I getcha," said Issun. "C'mon, Link, we'll show you what to do." Link followed Issun and Amaterasu out of the hut and into the freezing cold. "Okay, let one go!"

Link notched an arrow to his bow and drew it back, releasing the arrow through the dark mist toward the huge stone mass. Suddenly a flash of lightning enveloped the arrow and as it struck the boulder, it shattered the stone shell and revealed a gigantic barren tree.

"Okay, Ammy, do your stuff!" Issun shouted. Amaterasu whined eagerly, and out of the blue the tree exploded in bloom, a soft light extending out from the trunk and cleansing the land of the sinister shadow.

Link and Midna stood stunned.

Issun grinned. "And that, my friends, is one of the more impressive powers of the great god Amaterasu. Now c'mon, let's go find the village."

-&-

The first thing they noticed when they climbed the hill into Wep'keer was the distinct lack of people. Granted, the freezing cold had intensified to a point that none of the four could imagine anyone staying out for very long, but even the merchant's stand had been abandoned. "Where is everybody?" Issun demanded of no one in particular. "I know it's a bad night to be out, but the Oina have a much better tolerance to the cold than we do."

They ran from house to house, some of which had smoke rising from the chimneys; but despite Amaterasu's whines and scratchings, they saw no other sign of life.

"Shift back, Link," Issun told him as he started to turn blue. "Nobody's gonna answer us anyway."

Just then, the deer-hide door flap nudged open, and a brown wolf with a deer-antler mask peeked its head cautiously outside. "Oh, Issun!" a female voice exclaimed. "I never thought I'd see you here again! Invite your friends in, it's too cold to be wandering around. I'm Kai." She stepped inside and shifted into human form.

The four travelers gathered gratefully around the fire, and Issun explained briefly why he was in such strange company.

"Where is Oki, anyway?" Midna asked Kai. "We stopped by his place, but he wasn't there."

Kai's expression darkened. "We haven't seen him at all, ever since he left in pursuit of the demons that have plagued our village, and took Kutone with him."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Issun exclaimed. "He took _Kutone_ with him?! The village elder gave me a hiding for just _touching _the sword!"

"Sword?" Link asked. "I remember Oki had a fine-looking sword with him. It's not his?"

"It's a sacred relic that belongs to our village," Kai explained. "He's not really supposed to have it…but given everything that's happened lately…"

"He decided to make an executive decision." Issun snorted. "Just what, exactly, prompted him to do that?"

"As you can see, we've been having the worst storms in even the elder's lifetime. He went up to the lake to pray for fire from the mountains, but he was attacked by demons. He's recovering in his home now, and told us not to open our doors to anyone. But I figured I could trust you, Issun."

"That's a problem. Isn't he the only one who knows the incantation to get the volcanoes to erupt?"

"Well…my little sister, Lika, knows it too. But she's been missing for the past week…" Kai's voice trembled behind her mask.

"Little Lika's missing?! That _is_ bad. Maybe we can help look for her. Any clue to where she might be?"

"I followed her tracks for a while…they led into the forest."

"The _forest_?" Issun exclaimed. "I'm not going in that place?"

"What's wrong with the forest?" Link asked. "I grew up in the woods. I'm used to it."

"It is a dangerous place, even for us Oina," Kai explained. "The trees have a strange pollen with the power to confuse beasts. Few who go in ever come out. I was lost there once myself…isn't that right, Issun?"

Issun said nothing. Link, Midna, and Amaterasu looked at him quizzically.

Before they could say anything, Kai asked Amaterasu, "Will you look for Lika? I can bring you to the inner part of the forest…but I don't know my way around further than the most well-worn paths, and even those are hard to follow."

Amaterasu wagged her tail, and gave Kai a friendly "wuff".

"You can stay here if you like," Kai offered Link and Midna.

"Thank you, but we're in this quest together," Link explained.

"Yeah, besides, we have some hidden talents." Midna shifted Link into wolf form.

"Oh!" Kai exclaimed. "Just like the Oina! Can the other people of Hyrule do that?"

"Nope, it's not something he was born with, actually," Midna explained as she climbed onto his back. "But to explain it would take hours, and I don't think we have that kind of time."

"Of course." Kai shifted into wolf form herself and opened the door. "Let's go!"


	8. The Forest and the Gate

The entrance to the forest had the haunted foreboding of a graveyard, spindly leafless trees stretching overhead in a jagged arch. The branches creaked and popped in the stiff wind, here and there shaking off their loads of snow. An eerie feeling permeated the air, as if one could sense that the forest was alive, and it didn't like visitors.

Link sniffed the air, ears pricked, then crouched down and growled. Midna smiled knowingly and patted his side. "Very different from the forests at home, isn't it?"

Kai nodded toward the entrance. "We'll need to move quickly…even we Oina don't last very long in here. Keep close to me, and don't go wandering off if we get separated. You'll never find your way out."

The three wolves started forward, Kai at the head and the other two on either side, slightly behind. Their first obstacle loomed above them, a huge mass of bramble that shifted slightly, strangely, moving without the assistance of the wind. Kai deftly leaped through a small hole in the middle, then turned round and waited for the others. Link flattened his ears, tucked his tail between his legs, and leaped through with his legs as close to his body as possible.

Amaterasu leaped through, then yelped and snarled as her tail caught on the sharp, spiky thorns. She thrust forward, then was suddenly yanked back, a tendril of bramble curling around her body. Link pounced on it, growling, but another snaked out from under him and wrapped itself around its leg.

"Don't struggle!" Kai called. "It will only grasp you harder!"

Her advice went unheeded as the two wolves snapped at their tormentor. Raising her hands, Midna yelled, "Hold on, calm down, I'll fix it!" She shouted a few words of magic and they were briefly enveloped in an orange blaze. They distinctly heard the bramble hiss at them as it freed them from its grasp.

Shaking themselves, the two wolves fell back in line behind Kai. She wove around dead trees bearing strange purple fruit, which to their surprise turned toward Kai and launched the fruit at her. "Give 'em the usual treatment, Ammy!" Issun exclaimed. Amaterasu made a short bark, and Link and Midna stared in surprise as the fruits turned 180 degrees and came flying back at the trees. As the trees swayed and shuddered, momentarily dazed, the two raced through the gauntlet, Amaterasu looking back and sending the trees sprouting in bloom for good measure.

"Where are these _coming_ from?" Midna demanded as the three wolves negotiated a twisting passage constantly besieged with giant rolling snowballs. "It's like the blighted temples back home. Is the great darkness really causing all this?"

"The forest has always been dangerous," Kai called back to her. "But you're right, it's almost as if something evil is controlling everything from afar, or at least influencing the already unstable spirits that live here."

They ran along a huge plateau of ice, slipping and sliding as they went, the clatter of claws seeking traction echoing off the stones. They came to what had once been a river, now filled with some noxious, purple substance. Kai jumped to the first island, also covered in ice, and they heard her yelp as she overshot it and slid to the edge.

"We're coming!" Issun and Midna shouted, their respective mounts leaping to the island and seizing the scruff of Kai's neck. They pulled her back up on the island, carefully negotiating each leg so that the three of them could stand soundly.

After crossing a few more islands and running through another grove of attacking trees, they burst into an oasis of greenery. There were still several dead trees, and snow blanked most of the tiny glade, but they could see patches of green grass and a few flowering bushes. A deer and a couple rabbits stood feeding, completely oblivious to the dangers outside.

"What is this place?" Midna demanded, as Link sniffed around them curiously.

"This is Ponc'tan, where the Poncles live," Kai explained. "Even though they are very small, their influence keeps this place free of darkness."

Link shifted to human form. "What's a Poncle?"

"_I'm_ a Poncle," Issun told him. "But it doesn't really matter. I'm first and foremost a wandering artist. Does where you were raised define who you are?"

Link was taken aback by Issun's defensive tone. "No," he said. "I don't think my hometown of Ordon produces that many warriors."

"Well, there you are," Issun said in a huff. "Ponc'tan didn't suit me at all, so I'm not going back. I know for sure Lika isn't in there; she wouldn't fit."

Link wondered what Issun meant by "in there"; he spied a small, lighted hole in a tree trunk and wondered if that was it.

"I can't go any further," Kai said to them. "I don't know any more of this forest. Will you keep looking for Lika?"

"Of course," Issun assured her. "I know my way around a bit…we'll keep looking!"

"Thank you. Good luck!" Kai turned and left.

Link bent down and put his eye to the hole. "I wonder if the Poncles could tell us if they've seen Lika. Issun, could you go in and ask them?"

"No way."

They all stared at him. "I have my reasons. Here, take this." He produced some tiny object from a pocket that grew as he placed it in Link's palm, taking the shape of a hammer. "This is the Lucky Mallet. It made Ammy my size, so it should work on you too. Just let it go and it'll do its job. Ready to get hammered?"

"Uh…" Link nodded, not quite sure what he was assenting to, and the hammer swung down just short of his nose. Suddenly everything seemed to rise up around him, but of course it was him that was shrinking. Both Link and Midna stared at Issun, dressed as he was in a little cape and wide-brimmed hat.

He grinned. "Not many get a good look at the mighty Issun! Ammy, help these two inside, will you?"

Link climbed onto Amaterasu's back and she leaped through the opening.

Once inside, Midna popped out from Link's shadow. The hollow was well it, though not from sunlight; instead, brightly glowing plants and fireflies dotted the walls and flew around the enclosure. Several thick plant stems seemed to serve as little two-story homes, their doors accessible by mushrooms or leaves. Amaterasu ran down a bridge that appeared to be made of spiderwebs, and walked up to two Poncle guards clad in brown.

"Stop right there!" the one on the left said. "Our leader Ishaku isn't feeling well, so you'll have to come back later."

"We're kind of in a hurry," said Link. "We're looking for a missing girl."

The guard on the right squinted at him. "Wow, I didn't think humans came in such a small size. And that wolf you're riding…isn't she a god? What's with the floating demon?"

Midna sighed. "You can see Amaterasu's marks?" Link asked. "Well…if she's a god, you have to let her in, right?"

"I'm surprised _you_ can see her," the left guard told Link. "Usually ordinary people can't see the gods, and it's the job of the Poncles to help them. Well…since you seem sincere, and you have a god with you…I guess we can let you in. But we'll be right outside so don't try anything!"

Amaterasu trotted into the little dwelling and Link got off her back, Midna floating next to him. "Who's there?" a voice called, and an elderly Poncle with a long white mustache walked out to meet them. "I can't see as well with my eyes anymore, but I can see in other ways…hmmm…a warrior, a princess, and…._Ammy_??"

Amaterasu barked. Link looked at Midna, who shrugged.

"It _is_ Ammy! I thought I'd never see you again…not in this lifetime, anyway." The old Poncle's voice was thick with emotion. "But Ammy…I can tell your power isn't anywhere near where it was when we were together. Are these two helping you?"

Link stepped forward. "My name is Link, and this is Midna. We are actually from Hyrule, over the northern border."

"Ah yes…I've heard of the place. And I can sense some powerful connection between you and its lands…though I can't put my finger on what it is. My name is Ishaku, though you might already know that. I was Ammy's Celestial Envoy, more than a hundred years ago."

"What's a Celestial Envoy?" Midna asked.

"We Poncles help ordinary humans see and believe in the gods, through brush painting. The best of us are called Celestial Envoys. You can see the one I did of Ammy, years ago." He gestured to a large painting hanging above him, of an impressive-looking wolf that did look like Amaterasu, but whose markings were different.

Link's brows furrowed. "I thought the wolf that saved Nippon a hundred years ago was called Shiranui."

"It was…Amaterasu is Shiranui reborn. Have you never heard of such a thing? Your own soul seems much older than your body, as if you yourself follow in the footsteps of another, more ancient warrior."

Link was taken aback, but said nothing.

Ishaku turned to Amaterasu. "Ammy, have you found yourself a Celestial Envoy yet? I thought that you might have…well…I wasn't thinking of anyone in _particular_, but in your travels you might have run across…" he left the sentence hanging in the air. Both Link and Midna looked at Amaterasu, but she just sat down and scratched her ear.

Sighing, Ishaku said, "Well, never mind. There are many talented Poncles here that I have taught…you can talk to them and find one to take on, if you like. Now…I know you didn't come all the way out here just to talk to an old man. Has something happened?"

"We're looking for a small girl," Midna explained. "Her name is Lika. She's from the Oina village."

Ishaku frowned, troubled. "One of my people came to me the other day and stated that they saw a small girl wandering the forest as if possessed…they tried to question her, but she said nothing, and passed through the Spirit Gate?"

"What's the Spirit Gate?" Midna asked eagerly. "Is it an entrance to the Twilight Realm?"

"Twilight Realm? I don't even know what that is. It doesn't lead anywhere good, I can assure you. Opening the thing brings the worst kind of bad luck. You'd best stay away from there."

Link and Midna exchanged glances, each knowing the other figured it was the best place to look.

Ishaku shrugged with a sigh. "I'm sorry I can't help you more, Ammy. I hope you find a better replacement. Take care, and good luck!"

As they turned away, Ishaku called out to Link, "Young man, if you ever get back to your homeland, be prepared! I sense that the one who cursed your friend gained his powers from a deeper, darker evil!"

"What on earth do you think he meant by that?" Midna demanded.

"I don't know." Link frowned, troubled. "The only person I can think of who would be more powerful than Zant has been dead for a hundred years…"

They emerged from Ponc'tan, and quickly regrew to normal size. "Well, Ammy," Issun demanded, taking his place back on the wolf's head, "did you find out anything useful?"

"A Poncle called Ishaku told us that one of them saw a girl pass through something called the Spirit Gate," Midna informed him.

"Are you serious?" Issun demanded, incredulous. "Well, there's no way I'm going in _there_. I'll show you where it is, but from there on, you're on your own."

-&-

Issun led them through more bramble, more ice, and more snowballs, which prompted a great deal of swearing from Midna. Finally, they reached a small enclave with high rock walls on all sides, with nothing in it but a closed door.

Link approached it, sniffing, and he and Midna were surprised to see that there was nothing on the other side; it was just a door in the middle of nowhere. "How does _that_ work?" Midna demanded as she shifted Link back to human form.

Issun hopped off Amaterasu's head and up to the door. "Only Ishaku can unlock it…or at least that's what I've been told. I can give it a try…" He leaped up in the air and thrust his tiny sword into the crack, letting gravity pull him down and split the door. A faint line of light glowed where he had sliced.

He stepped back for a moment, silent, as if he couldn't believe what he had just done. "Man, old man Ishaku would have my hide if he knew what I just did…Well, Ammy? You and the other two going in or what? What are you looking at? The door's open…and I'm not going in!"

"I wouldn't expect a Poncle who ran away from his destiny as a Celestial Envoy to enter the Spirit Gate." The four travelers turned in surprise to see Oki walking calmly toward them, Kutone in hand. He nodded toward Link and Midna. "Still trying to find your way back to Hyrule, are you? Well, I don't think you'll find it through that Gate."

"What are you doing here, Oki?" Issun demanded.

Oki made a few turns in the air with his sword. "Kutone has not yet begun to glow silver…it must require more monster blood. I suppose the infamous Spirit Gate would be a likely place for the demons it thirsts to kill."

"Whatever. We're on a more important mission, we're looking for…" Issun cut off abruptly as the Spirit Gate slowly opened of its own accord. Bright light shone from the doorway, preventing them from seeing what was inside.

Oki stepped forward. "Stay here, if you don't have the courage to face the unknown. For my part, I will do whatever I can to bring Kutone to its former glory and restore my village."

"Wait, Oki, we don't know what's in there!" Issun yelled as Oki passed through the gate.

"Well, no point in standing around wondering. Let's go, Link!" Midna commanded, and Link leaped through the door.

Amaterasu crouched. "Wait, Ammy, just a minute-" his voice echoed off the rocks as she dashed through the gate, and the doors slammed shut behind her.


	9. The Cave of the Monster

Midna rubbed her eyes and looked around in consternation. "This doesn't look like horrible misfortune to me."

The others examined their surroundings. "It kinda looks like Kamiki Village," Issun mused. "But Konohana's not here, so it can't be."

"Kamiki Village? That tiny place where the legend of Orochi came from?" Oki pondered this. "Well, if such a dark force came from this place once, it may harbor such misfortune again." He ran off despite Issun and Midna's calls for him to come back.

"I didn't say it _was_ Kamiki. I said it _looked_ like Kamiki," Issun grumbled. He bounced up to a tiny sapling planted in a place of reverence at the top of the hill. "This would be our first clue. Look how tiny it is. Still…everything else looks like Kamiki…"

Link shifted to human form, and pointed down the hill. "There's a little girl there, by the gate. Maybe we can ask her where we are." As he got closer, he realized that the girl looked a lot like the wood sprite from Kamiki. "Excuse me, do you know Sakuya?"

"Shakuya? That's my name!" the girl eagerly regarded the group. "Oh, you have a god with you? Will you play with me?"

"We're busy, kid," Issun told her. "C'mon, Ammy, let's go into the village and figure out what's going on." Amaterasu sprinted down the hill.

"Who's your friend?" the little girl asked Link as Midna popped out of his shadow.

"My name's Midna. Can you tell us where we are?" she asked.

"This is Kamiki Village. That's all I know. Two girls brought me here."

"Two girls?" Midna floated around, scanning the hill, then passed through the gate. "Link, come here, look at this!"

Link said goodbye to the girl and followed Midna, who pointed behind them. "Look, it's those two traveler girls. But they're dressed differently."

"Excuse me," Link walked up to them. "Can you tell me where we are?"

They looked a little startled, but the elder one replied, "This is Kamiki Village. Didn't you know that when you came? Are you lost?"

Link grinned sheepishly. "Yeah, maybe. I think I'll go into town and see if I can find my way from there. Thanks." He turned and followed Amaterasu's path down the hill.

"This is strange," Midna mused. "It's almost as if we're in a twilight version of Kamiki, or something like that."

Link looked up. "Wasn't the moon full just recently? Entering the twilight doesn't make the moon change faster, does it?"

"Of course not."

Link's face furrowed in contemplation. "I wonder…"

Midna hid in his shadow as they entered the village, suspecting that they might not meet the same people they knew before. Her suspicions were confirmed when they saw a middle-aged woman tending her vegetables, who regarded them with a little suspicion. "I don't know who you are, young man, but this is not a good place to be tonight. You'd be better off spending it up in the hills. Not to be rude, but it's really for your own safety."

"I won't stay long, thanks." Link scanned the village for Amaterasu, and was surprised to see the wolf being chased by a small boy, who beaned her on the head when she stopped for Issun to speak. "This definitely isn't the same place we were before…but it certainly looks similar…"

Amaterasu ran up to him. "_There_ you guys are!" Issun hopped up and down indignantly. "I don't know what's going on…everybody's acting crazy!"

"Have you talked to everyone?" Link asked.

"There's just Susano left…not that he ever makes sense…but I guess we'll have to try talking to him, too."

The two of them ran to Susano's house. On a hunch, Link shifted to wolf form just before they reached Susano, who seemed to be asleep on the ground.

"Wuff." Link craned his neck to look at Midna after sniffing the sleeping man.

"Smells different, does he?" Midna asked. "He certainly looks similar to Susano…but he's still different…"

"Hey, wake up, pops!" Issun yelled.

"Susano" opened one eye. "Eh, what?" He jumped up when he caught sight of Amaterasu. "Shiranui!" He raised his sword to attack.

"What's gotten into you, pops?!" Issun demanded, as Amaterasu leaped aside. On a hunch, Link hid in the shadows and shifted back to human form.

"Shiranui, I will not allow you to bring Nami to Orochi! Feel the full force of Nagi-style martial arts!" the mystery man yelled as he swung his sword at Amaterasu again and again. Link nodded, as if confirming something to himself.

A thwack from Amaterasu's brushwork knocked him senseless. Issun turned an accusing eye on Link as he emerged. "We could've used your help."

Link glared at Issun and motioned toward the man on the ground. "I didn't want to hurt Nagi. Now who's going to fight Orochi?"

Issun bounced furiously. "Have you gone insane too? What _are_ you people talking about?!"

"The Spirit Gate brought us to Kamiki Village during the time of Nagi," Link explained. "We've traveled back in time."

Both Issun and Midna regarded him skeptically. "Is that even possible?" Issun demanded.

"It is. In Hyrule, they say the ancient hero traveled back and forth in time to gather the strength he needed to defeat Ganondorf. He used this sword, here." Link tapped the Master Sword on his back.

"You nut. How does a sword make you travel back in time?" Issun snapped.

"Uh…" Link stammered. "You know, I never fully understood that part of the legend…"

A commotion behind them cut off Issun's smart aleck reply. They turned round to see the entire village gathered at Nagi's door.

"Hurry, Nagi!" Mr. Orange's ancestor exclaimed. "Shiranui stalks the village once again! The moon has waxed to its fullest…soon Orochi will demand his sacrifice!"

As if on cue, an ear-splitting roar shook the village. Link and Midna stared up at in consternation to see a massive arrow appear in the middle of the sky, glowing with a malevolent blue force. They heard the sound of a nonexistent bow twang, and the arrow swept through the air and crashed into the top of Nami's house.

"The arrow has struck the house of the chosen maiden!" Mr. Orange shouted, regardless of whether or not anyone needed the explanation. "Why must we be forced to give up Nami to the horrible beast?"

"I don't like where this is going," Midna muttered.

"Me either." Link frowned at her. "We're never going to get back to Hyrule, are we?"

They heard Nami call across the little brook to Nagi. "I know you will come for me, Nagi! You've trained so long and so hard…I know you will defeat Orochi!" She ran off, presumably to prepare for her fate.

"Well, now what?" Midna demanded of Issun. "You knocked out the famous Nagi…isn't he supposed to disguise himself as a pretty lady and beat up Orochi?"

"Let me think, let me think." Issun plunked himself down on Amaterasu's head and pondered. "Well, maybe we can dress Nagi up and bring him to the Moon Cave. If we're lucky he'll wake up before we get there. If he's not, I guess we can do the same thing we did last time and fight Orochi ourselves. You'll help, right?"

"Of course," Link assured him. "Where are we going to get ladies' clothes?"

Issun pointed. "Look, you can see Nami getting ready, she's got the sacrificial robe on the grass while she's bathing in the lake. Hee hee…she's not wearing anything at all…"

Midna smacked him off Amaterasu. "Focus, Issun."

He picked himself up off the ground. "Yes, well…we can snag the clothes and put them on Nagi, and no one will be the wiser!"

"I'll do it," Midna offered. She disappeared into the shadows nearby, popped up near Nami, snatched the robe, and popped up back again next to her companions. "I found this barrel of sake too…you think it's that 8 purification stuff? I'll keep it safe."

Issun nodded. "Now all that's left is to dress Nagi…um, Link? I know this is weird, but I'm too small and Furball here doesn't have any thumbs…"

"Yeah, I get it." Link pushed Nagi into a sitting position, and Midna threw the robe over him. With a few adjustments they managed to at least make him look like Nami from a long distance. Amaterasu threw him on her back, Link shifted into wolf form, and they took off through the village gates.

-&-

At the top of the field, Link looked down at the dark cave and growled.

"Yeah, it looks even meaner than the last time," Issun commented. "Orochi's at his peak strength now, so this is gonna be rough." They ran down the hill and through the gate, and a sinister inky cloud seemed to coalesce around them as they did.

Midna made a face. "Looks evil, sounds evil, smells evil, feels evil…" she stuck out her tongue and coughed. "Yup…even tastes evil."

They ran up the stairway to the cave entrance. "There's no barrier this time," Issun noted. Link and Midna didn't understand why Orochi would set up a barrier when he expected young lady callers, but they kept silent.

The man on Amaterasu's back stirred, then lifted his head and gave a puzzled look at the white wolf. Amaterasu shook him off.

Nagi glanced around in confusion. "Where am I?" He looked down at himself and jumped three feet in the air. "Why on earth am I wearing this?!"

"Hey, you're awake!" Issun bounced happily, glad that something was finally going right. "Now you can sneak up to Orochi in disguise and slay him! Then Nami will fall for you big time!

"Huh?!" Nagi whirled round to stare at him, then folded his arms and stuck a dramatic pose in an attempt to cover up this unheroic moment. "Yes…of course…for I am the greatest warrior that ever lived…"

Another earth-shattering roar rent the air. "Get ready!" Issun shouted as Amaterasu crouched down and snarled at the black void ahead. "He's coming!"

Link crouched next to Amaterasu, his sharp blue eyes fixed on a growing, angry orange glow. Suddenly the head of a great serpent shot out from the darkness, and Link and Amaterasu leaped in unison as the malevolent creature snatched Nagi in its jaws and disappeared back into the void.

Amaterasu snarled and ran forward; immediately they heard a retching sound and Nagi came flying back over their heads, falling senseless behind them. A magic barrier of violet energy flashed into view and closed them off from the cave's exit. "Well, so much for that idea," Issun muttered. "I guess Orochi can taste the difference between man and maiden! Well, there's nothing else for it, Ammy," he said as Amaterasu pawed at the barrier. "I know it's a risk…when you fought Orochi as Shiranui, you died too! And I don't know why you didn't just knock off the lizard when he first showed up…"

Midna made a dismissive gesture. "Don't worry about it. We'll help you get rid of that creature. But you know, you're going to owe us big time…if we make it through this, I expect you to help us out in Hyrule!"


	10. Two Wolves versus Eight Heads

"Nice décor," Midna commented dryly as they reached the bottom of a flight of stairs, dark clouds roiling overhead, several skulls and bones littering the floor.

"Oh, it gets better," Issun assured her. "C'mon." Amaterasu and Link ran up the stairway, then passed through enormous double doors to the great serpent's chamber.

Before them lay a circular roofless room, with an enormous stone snake grinning down at them, mouth wide open, from above. The huge boulders and steel doors had been battered and blasted by the monster. In front of them stood an odd-looking island, a large bell perched on top of it. Someone had already beaten them to it.

"Oki?!" Issun demanded upon catching sight of the Oina warrior.

Oki glanced back at the little group, unconcerned. "So you finally made it here. It does not matter. Orochi will be my finest – and hopefully final – sacrifice to Kutone. Then it will finally glow silver and I can protect my village from much more terrible monsters."

"Speaking of terrible monsters, where is it?" Midna jumped up and floated over to the odd island, Link making a short, sharp bark of warning. She waved back to the group, gesturing to a space below the bell. "Hey, there's someone passed out down here, a little girl! Want me to bring her?"

Before anyone could answer, a low rumbling rent the air, and they felt the ground shake beneath their feet. Reddening cracks spun around the island, and Midna flew back to her companions. With an earth-shattering roar, eight enormous gold-plated serpent heads spun up from the ground and fixed their gleaming eyes on the intruders.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day," Midna said uneasily as Link snarled with teeth bared, every hair on end.

"Who dares disturb the sanctity of my dark chamber?" the largest head of the group demanded in a voice like an erupting volcano, flashing teeth the size and sharpness of spears. Its eyes focused on Oki, the one closest to it. "Are you the one who attempted to defile my sacred sacrifice by offering me that old man? If so, I will devour Kamiki Village and the lands beyond!"

"I am a stranger here and care nothing for your threats," Oki declared calmly. "Awaken, Kutone!" He leaped forward and thrust his sword into the serpent's face, only to have it strike an invisible barrier and ring out of his hand. With a smirk, Orochi swung its largest head into the warrior, knocking him off his feet and several yards away.

"I don't understand," Oki muttered as he rose to his feet. "Why won't Kutone awaken?"

"Oh man, this is bad! Midna, give me that sake, will ya?" Issun took it from her and poured it in the basins surrounding the monster. "Somehow we have to beat this thing without hurting the girl…I'm sure it's Lika!"

"How can we help?" Midna asked, but Issun's reply was drowned out by the monster.

"O wild god of the heavens," it addressed Amaterasu, "you dare confront me in such a weak state, after I destroyed your entire homeland? I shall devour all of Nippon as well, and the lands beyond…" Catching sight of Link, it hissed more to itself than its audience, "Yes, yesss…a small imp and a wolf, those were his words. Wild god of the heavens, you have no idea of the power of Darkness that can blot out your light. But to make sure…" It lowered its head and spoke directly to Link. "Little wolf, have you a stronger bite than mere dog's teeth?"

Link shifted to human form and drew the Master Sword, but the serpent rose up out of reach before he could swing it. "Ah yes! A boy armed with a powerful sword, and a three-triangle seal branded on one hand. Our ally will be pleased." Without further ado, the eight heads rose up and unleashed fire, poison, lighting, and a series of other attacks, forcing the four friends to scramble out of the way.

"Guys, here's the plan," Issun yelled at the other three. "Ammy will use her brush to pour the sake down that dirty snake's throat. Once he passes out, Link, use one of our Exorcism Slips at the bell on the island and pick up Lika. After that, he's gonna wake up again, so after we give each head its medicine, hack at it with that sword of yours!"

Link nodded, then hung back as Amaterasu charged the beast and flung sake in its face, dodging lighting and whirling winds. After only three rounds, the eight heads fell down in a stupor. "_Now_, Link!" Issun shouted.

Link jumped on the neck of one of the great heads and followed it up to the island at a sprint. Pulling one of the largest, most intricate slips from his tunic, he slammed it down on the island and a gigantic burst of light lit up the chamber. As a shockwave followed the light burst and the monster howled in agony, Link picked up the sleeping Oina girl and carried her away, leaping off the island just as the heads rose again to renew their assault on the enemy.

Link carried the girl to the edge of the chamber, laying her down carefully, then ran back to follow Amaterasu. As they approached the first head, it belched a dark cloud of poison over the four of them. Link's Triforce mark burst into light and he shifted involuntarily into wolf form. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Midna demanded, coughing, as the toxic clouds swirled around them.

"Hold on, Furball's having trouble…" Issun replied shortly as Amaterasu sneezed and pawed at her nose. She shook herself and concentrated, and a stream of sake rose up and forced itself into the serpent's mouth. The head shook for a moment, then fell to the ground. Link leaped upon it, pulling away at the gold armor and tearing with tooth and claw at the unprotected flesh beneath.

Link was no stranger to monsters and their bizarre forms of combat, and he had met several able to shift form and completely change their attacks. Still, he felt relieved to have Issun and Amaterasu running the show, as they had obviously fought this creature before and had an idea of what it would do next. He shifted between human and wolf as he and Midna dodged lightning strikes, swam through a sudden flood, were singed by fire, and braced against whirlwinds.

"Here, I'll take this one!" Midna exclaimed as Link paused briefly, snarling and trying to catch his breath. She raised her hands and unleashed an orange burst of Twilight magic on a head that had just tormented them with blinding light.

Finally they had struck every head at least once, but Orochi was not yet beaten. The main head rose up and gathered an immense burst of dark energy, more than all eight had unleashed before; the four friends braced themselves.

"Stop right there, monster!" All eight Orochi heads as well as the heroes turned to face the newcomer. Nagi walked into the chamber, arms folded. "Your reign of terror has ended. For I am Nagi, the greatest warrior who ever lived!" He drew his sword and flourished it in Orochi's face. "With this weapon I will banish the darkness!"

"Ammy, Ammy!" Issun yelled. "You know what to do!"

Amaterasu raised her head to the sky and howled. Link's hackles raised and he followed suit. As the two wolves bayed to the moon, the clouds parted and the light of the moon illuminated Nagi's sword.

"Eh? What deviltry is this?" Nagi demanded, as the sword seemed to glow of its own power.

Oki, still present but in the shadows, muttered, "_His_ sword? But why…?"

"It is a sign from the gods," Nagi said gravely, to no one but himself and the monster. "Your era has ended, serpent…_Celestial Cleaver!_"

Nagi slashed at each head in turn, separating it from its body, then straightened and leaped on high in front of the main one.

("He missed one," Midna pointed out. Link shifted, drew the Master Sword, and finished the task, no one the wiser.)

The main head and neck split in two, and the once-mighty Orochi fell in defeat and death. Silence roared into the chamber, and the four friends, Nagi, and Lika stood still for a moment, staring at the gigantic creature's corpse.

Issun turned around. "Lika! Are you all right?"

Lika did not seem perturbed at all by her surroundings. "Hi, Issun! Hi, doggy! Where are we? Who are your friends?"

Issun opened his mouth to answer, then suddenly jerked his head up as they all heard rumbling above them. "Is that Orochi _still_ alive?"

A collection of debris swirled in the air, then combined to form a huge boulder. The little group scattered, but the boulder was so huge, Nagi could not get out of the way in time.

"Nagi! Look out!" Issun yelled, just as the boulder fell on him.

Then an astonishing thing happened. A bright, pure light shone out from underneath the boulder, and it slowly lifted, Nagi unhurt beneath. The little group could see the boulder rising on the back of…_Amaterasu?_

Both Link and Midna stared back and forth between the two white wolves. "How is that possible?" Midna demanded.

"It's not the same wolf! Look, the markings are different!" Link pointed.

The boulder tumbled off the wolf's back and the newcomer fell to the ground, obviously in pain. "Shiranui?" Nagi asked uncertainly, then picked up the stricken wolf in his arms as the chamber around them began to shake once more.

To everyone's surprise, another Poncle hopped out from the wolf's fur, right up to the little group of warriors. "Get out of here!" he yelled at them. "This whole place is going to collapse in seconds!"

Link wondered if the Poncle was Ishaku; the look on Issun's face confirmed it.

A large rock fell just in front of Nagi; he jumped back and ran to the chamber entrance. "Come on, you guys!" Issun yelled to the others. "Let's get out of here before the whole place collapses on our heads!"

Link shifted to wolf form and the two wolves, with Lika and Midna on their backs, raced out of the cave. It collapsed behind them with a deafening roar, dust and debris hitting their heels as they ran back up the hill to the field.

"Where's Oki?" Midna asked.

"He wasn't there when Nagi dealt the final blow…I think he left before that," Issun said. "Anyway, he's not our primary concern…" He turned to Lika. "Why on earth did you go through the Spirit Gate?"

"Spirit Gate? What's that?" she asked.

The four friends looked at each other. Link, the one most used to dealing with children, shifted to human form and kneeled down in front of her. "My name's Link. Your sister asked us to look for you. What do you remember?"

Lika scratched her head. "Well…the last thing I remember is two owls coming to me in a dream. They said they wanted me to play with them."

"Two owls?" Issun asked. "Aren't the guardian deities of Kamui two owls?"

"What were you doing before that?" Link asked.

"I was practicing the prayer we say to start the fires in the volcanoes back home," Lika explained. "It was so cold, and our chief was so ill, that they asked me to do it on the Day of Darkness. Do you want to hear it? I can do it really good!"

Link frowned. "The Day of Darkness? That must be the eclipse we heard mentioned earlier. When is it?"

Lika thought. "Well, last I remember, I was told it would be tomorrow…"

"_What??_" Issun yelped. "Jeez, talk about cutting things close…c'mon guys, we need to get back to Wep'keer _now!_"


	11. Icebound Temple

"What else would we need to do if we got rid of that Orochi character?" Midna demanded of Issun as Amaterasu and Link raced back through the forest.

"I guess Orochi isn't at the heart of it," Issun yelled back in the howling wind. "There must be something bigger out there, even worse than Orochi."

"He mentioned something about having an ally." Midna frowned as she clutched Link's fur. "He seemed to recognize us. How could he do that?"

"I have no idea how deep this goes. The important thing is to get to Wep'keer before the eclipse starts. I don't know what kind of effect it'll have on Ammy, and we don't want to be stuck fighting if she loses her power!"

"Look, doggy, we're almost home!" As they cleared the forest, Lika pointed to the painted leather signs on the hillside that marked her village.

"Where are we _going?_" Midna demanded as Amaterasu led them on a winding path around the Oina huts and up deeper into the craggy cliffs.

"To Laochi Lake!" Issun's tiny voice could hardly be heard in the screaming blizzard. "There's an altar there where the Oina offer their prayers to the volcano spirits. The others should be there waiting for Lika!"

Midna burrowed as well as she could into Link's thick coat. "Is it me, or is the storm even worse than it was the last time we were here?"

They raced through a narrow pathway and passed through a huge wooden gate inscribed with the Oina symbol. Spread out before them was the ruins of an intricately carved stone altar, standing in front of a small frozen lake, all of it framed by high snowy cliffs.

"Look!" Link changed form so quickly that Midna fell off his back in surprise. "There's a huge _ship_ in that lake!"

Midna could hardly believe her eyes. A gigantic, ancient-looking ship that appeared to be made either of stone or metal stood half-sunk in the frozen water. It was nearly as large as the lake itself, and after just a few minutes of scrambling and slipping on the ice, Link reached its side. She floated after him, gazing up at its sail-less hulk. "What on earth is something like this _doing_ out here? Who goes for a sail in a lake in an enormous tub like this? It looks as if it just dropped out of the sky!"

"Midna, remember what Waka said?" Link ran his hands excitedly over the surface of the mammoth wreck, as if searching for a hidden door or switch. "A ship that the Emperor couldn't give us. I wonder if this could be it?"

She looked at him as if she doubted his sanity. "Link, I don't think this thing can move three feet, much less get us to Hyrule."

But Link was well used to finding seemingly useless items that turned out to be priceless treasures. "If somebody stumbled upon your mirror and didn't know what it did, it wouldn't be much use to them, would it? We just have to figure out how it got here and what it does."

Midna heard Amataerasu barking at them, and she tugged at Link's collar. "C'mon, we'll have to come back to this later."

"_Guys!!!_" Issun screamed as Link scrambled back to the altar. "This is no time for sightseeing!"

"Where did the ship come from?" Link demanded.

"Not sure. It's been here since before the Age of Myths. But that's not what's important right now." Issun pointed high above them, where they could see a horizontal whirlwind of snow barreling from an enormous set of stone double-doors. "That door isn't supposed to be open. The other villagers are supposed to be at the altar, but if they saw that I'm sure they went to investigate. Come on!"

They trudged as quickly as they could through the snowdrifts, nearly getting run over by a series of bears, foxes, and tanuki that eagerly raced away from the howling winds. "I don't ever want to see another flake of snow again," Midna grumbled as she hid in Link's shadow.

They found the villagers in a panic at the top of the hill. The elder somehow stood without falling over in front of the doors, reciting some kind of chant. The others all threw their weight against the open iron doors, but they wouldn't budge.

Kai ran toward them. "Something terrible has happened!"

"Yeah, we see that," Issun said dryly. "How did these doors get open?"

"Oki came through here and forced the doors open!" Kai exclaimed. "He was so angry…he was rambling something about Kutone, and said he had to go to the mountain temple after more monsters!"

"Hi sis!" Lika jumped off Amaterasu's back and embraced Kai.

"Thank goodness you're all right! Where have you been all this time?" Kai demanded.

"It's a long story." Issun gestured toward the altar below them. "Look, why don't you bring Lika down there so she can do what she needs to do? We'll go look for Oki and make sure he doesn't cause more trouble."

Kai picked up Lika and hurried down the slope. "Thank you so much. Good luck!"

-&-

"That Oki is getting to be a real pain in the butt," Midna grumbled. "Why are we wasting our time looking for this joker?"

"First of all, Oki's a more decent guy than he lets on," Issun told her, uncharacteristically defensive. "He's kind of headstrong, but he's completely dedicated to his village. Everything he does is an attempt to protect it. Besides, this blizzard is abnormal, even for a place this far north. I'd heard that the doors had been kept shut because the mountain temple started housing evil creatures. We might find more answers regarding Orochi's allies inside it."

Suddenly an explosive boom echoed through the air, followed by several more. Link raised his shield just in time to deflect a ball of malevolent energy, and it rang in protest as more smashed into it. "What on earth?!"

"Hold on, we've got it covered." Suddenly Amaterasu leaped into the air and moved with impossible speed, knocking back the balls and blasting the cannons that had sent them.

"That was impressive," Link noted.

"That's a technique called Veil of Mist," Issun explained with a hint of smugness. "When Ammy uses it, everything moves slower to us. Of course, to everyone else, we look like we're moving really fast."

"Well, let's hurry up and see if we can find Oki." Midna floated up to the door at the end and waited for the others to follow.

As they entered the temple, they took a good look around. The first thing that came to mind was the deck of a crab fisherman's ship; the ones that search for giant crabs in the far north, where the freezing spray washes over the metal railings and creates massive icicles that must be hammered off before they pull the ship under the waves. Ice and snow hung everywhere in various forms, and the cold stone that built the temple looked as uninviting as steel. In front of them, a demon lock blocked their way.

"There must be a key around here somewhere." Used to traversing dungeons looking for keys, Link started over an icy path toward a side door. As he ran, the path cracked beneath him. Amaterasu hurried to follow him before the thin ice collapsed.

Inside they found a gigantic ice ball, a few small potted trees, and a set of scales. They could see the key on the other side of a yawning gap where the scales hung, and a set of platforms leading to it behind the ice ball. "Great, another puzzle," Issun groaned.

"I'm good at puzzles." Link stood at the edge of the gap, examining the scales, the platforms, the glass ball. "There's a switch on the other side of the gap. I'm guessing we have to raise the platforms and push the ice ball so that it hits the switch and opens the gated door where the key is. I suppose the scales control the platforms…" He took a few steps back, then made a flying leap onto the scales.

"Watch yourself!" Midna warned. "Just because I can float doesn't mean I can pull you out of that pit!"

As Link stepped onto the scale, a little number lit up and one of the platforms rose. "I bet we have to get the scales to be equal again. Midna, could you toss me those little trees?"

She hurled them across the gap, and he tossed them onto the other side of the scales. But they were too small to make much difference.

"You need to go on a diet," Midna told him.

He frowned at her. "I don't think this is supposed to be that easy…Amaterasu, you can make trees bloom…can you make them grow, too?"

Amaterasu barked, and the trees on the scale spurted up ten feet taller. The scales evened out, and all the platforms rose up.

Amaterasu barked at the ice ball, and a gust of wind rolled it across the platform and onto the switch. The metal bars opened, and Amaterasu snatched the key. Link jumped off the platform and they ran back into the other room.

The icy path had already refrozen. Midna glanced at Link, who was beginning to turn blue. "You should shift back…it's much too cold in here to only be wearing that tunic."

After they unlocked the door, the two wolves entered a frozen circular altar, which Amaterasu melted using the fire from the torches on the wall. After using the water to rise up further, they found themselves under siege by the cannons again. After Amaterasu cleared the way, they entered through a door that led outside.

"Um…what's with the spiders?" Midna demanded, watching the giant creatures crawl all over the cliffs.

"Don't know, but don't touch 'em; they'll burn you," Issun pointed out.

After running the spider gauntlet, they saw before them an enormous, odd-looking machine, which spewed out massive amounts of wind and snow. "Well, I guess this answers the question about the storm," Issun said. "The question is, how do we turn it off?"

Link jumped off the small platform down to the machine. Three spinning wheels with ugly demon heads stared at the little troupe. He stared at it for a while, then began looking around the rest of the machine. "There's a lever here, but it's frozen."

"No problem," said Issun. Amaterasu unleashed a blast of fire. She grasped the lever in her teeth, pulling it down. The wheels stopped in turn, but nothing happened, and they started up again.

Link had already moved on to the side of the cliff. He could see a large crack in the wall, and light behind it. He placed one of his own bombs at its foot and stood back. With the stone blasted away, they could see a small chamber behind it.

Link kicked away a collection of fallen, windblown leaves. On the floor was a schematic of the machine, with the eyes of the demon wheels in specific places. "Well, that answers that question," said Issun, and he and Amaterasu ran back outside. They faced the machine, pulling the lever and stopping the wheels. The machine died down, the snow stopped, and silenced rushed into the little ledge.

Link blinked, and Issun and Amaterasu disappeared. "What happened?" he shouted to Midna. "Where did they go?"

Just as suddenly, they reappeared again. "What the heck was that about?" Midna demanded. "This is no time for funny tricks."

"It would take forever to explain, but it's good news. Ammy has all her powers back!" Somehow Issun didn't sound as happy as he should be. "Now we're finally prepared for anything that gets thrown at us…as long as we're not in the middle of that eclipse, that is. C'mon, let's see if we can get any further in the temple. Furball has the power to freeze things now…let's use it on some of these spiders."

Now able to freeze the creatures in place, the travelers used them to climb to the highest part of the temple. At the very top, they raced through a set of double doors and found themselves on a kind of patio.

Link took a careful look around. The open space and dead silence reminded him of past encounters with dungeon guardians. One hand on his sword hilt, he walked slowly over the tiled floor, a giant clock etched into it. Two trees stood on either side, their larger branches scored with the claw marks of some huge creature, as if it normally roosted there.

"Look!" Issun called out, and all heads turned. "Is that…could it be…?"

Link and Midna stared in awe at the resplendent, red-edged wolf that stood there before them. "_Shiranui?"_


	12. Clock Boy Go Boom!

**Author's Note: A reviewer's comment struck me as something funny Issun might say, so I made it the chapter title. ;-)**

As they stared at the newcomer, a strange grinding, clicking sound echoed throughout the patio. Link glanced up to see an enormous thing floating toward them. It looked vaguely like an owl, and had wings and a tail; but it flew clumsily, and wore what appeared to be a robe and a top hat. The creature's head clicked as it spun around full circle, examining the intruders.

Shiranui sat down on the floor and howled. After a moment of puzzlement, Amaterasu sat down on her haunches and howled as well. The hairs on the back of Link's neck stood up. "Do you want to switch?" Midna asked, as if she could sense what he was thinking.

But he shook his head, and turned his sword over in his hand. "No, not until I figure out what this monster can do."

The creature took off its hat with one of its little spindly arms (Link only now noticed them, separate from the wings) and twirled a walking stick like a magician's wand over it. Spears of ice appeared over its head, which shot down at lightning speed toward Shiranui.

All of them gaped as Shiranui sent all, not just one, of the missiles back at the monster without moving a muscle. "Wow! Now that's really something!" Issun exclaimed. "C'mon, Ammy, jump in there and fight before your old self steals all the glory!"

Link hung back as the two wolves plunged in. He had the feeling that this monster had many more tricks, literally up its sleeve. When the wolves planted bombs, Link threw some of his own. As the two wolves launched into an attack pattern, he shifted form and ran up to the monster, digging his claws and teeth into the fabric of its robe and tearing at the clockwork gears under the monster's metal exterior.

After several rounds of bomb blasts and flying springs, the creature fell on its side. But before they could rush in to finish it off, the wall behind them exploded in an ear-splitting crash. Through the hole came the Gold Demon, with something – or someone – attacking its face.

"Is that Oki?" Midna demanded, craning her neck. Amaterasu and Issun ran past her.

"Let's move back for now, Ammy!" Issun exclaimed. "This is going to make things a lot harder…"

Oki leaped down from the demon's face, sword in hand. "At last…these two have caused such suffering to Kamui, Kutone _must_ awaken if I battle both of them!"

"Oki, no!" Midna yelled. "We don't know what the both of them can do!"

"Hmph!" He snarled at Link as he shifted into human form. "Hero of Hyrule, you don't live up to your name. Now you will see what separates a hero from the rest! You will witness history in the making!"

"There's a fine line between courage and stupidity, Oki!" Link yelled back. "It doesn't matter how good a fighter you are if he pulls something you don't expect!"

Oki snorted at him, then ran forward, only to be stopped by Shiranui. The grand white wolf snarled at him, obviously trying to force him back. But Oki leaped forward to attack him; Shiranui stepped aside so not to fight a comrade.

"Something weird is going on…" Midna muttered, her eyes fixed on the two owls. One had a clock on its chest; the other had a series of characters she couldn't read. _Those can't just be there for decoration, _she thought uneasily.

Suddenly the clock and characters stopped ticking, and a blinding flash swept over the patio. Link tried to blink his eyes, to get rid of the strange backwards colors swimming in his vision, but found he couldn't blink. He couldn't move at all. Yet the twin owls still hovered in the air, wings flapping, unaffected.

"Can't…breathe…" Issun's strained voice barely reached his ears.

"Eh?" Oki stood frozen in mid-leap, halfway between the demons and the ground. "What…curse you, demons…"

One of the owls raised its walking stick high over its head, and all of them watched in horror as they saw it position the pointed end over Oki's frozen body.

"Oki…get…out….of…there…" Issun sputtered.

Suddenly Shiranui stirred, and by some godly force, wrenched free of the demon's hold. The wolf leaped into the air and knocked Oki out of the way, just as the weapon came slashing down. It pierced Shiranui and the wolf howled in agony, releasing a burst of power that struck both owls and sent them reeling. With their spell over the others broken, they threw Shiranui to the side; the wolf rolled over, stricken, to the edge of the patio.

Both Link and Amaterasu ran to Shiranui, trying to pull the stricken god back onto the icy, slippery patio, stumbling as they did. "I can't get a grip on the floor!" Link shouted as he strained backward, one of Shiranui's back paws in his hands. Amaterasu splayed her claws over the ice and tugged at Shiranui's tail.

Oki stared upward at the retreating owls. _Now that they are both wounded…or damaged…I can finish them off! All I have to do is follow them to their den…_

He heard the scuffle behind him and turned to see the travelers struggling to bring Shiranui back from the brink. He glanced back at the owls, not wanting to let this chance slip away, knowing their deaths could well hold the key to Kamui's salvation.

A spindly dead tree, already damaged by the wings of the owls, cracked and leaned close to the little group. Oki could hear the frozen wood straining and splintering. He hesitated. _That would be me if it hadn't been for…I can't just leave the one who…_

With a final pop, the tree toppled over; but was sliced in half by Oki's sword, as the Oina warrior kicked the dead wood aside, just to the left of Shiranui. Link, Midna, Amaterasu, and Issun pulled Shiranui back up out of danger.

"Thanks, Oki," Issun said as he hopped over Shiranui to examine the deep gashes in Shiranui's body. "I know you didn't want to stay…"

Oki said nothing, glaring balefully at the retreating owls. It was Link that jerked him out of his reverie. "Oki, look at your sword!"

His eyes snapped downward to stare in surprise at Kutone, now shining brilliant silver as bright as the moon. "Can it be…?"

"Of course," he said more to himself than the others as he kneeled down and petted Shiranui. "The sword could not awaken while its wielder's heart was mired in selfish desires."

"This is no time to feel sorry for yourself," Midna snapped. "If you want to make up for screwing up, you can help us finish them off!"

Oki nodded, and stood. "I understand. But how will we find them again? This place is like a maze…and I don't think Shiranui can go any further."

Midna rolled her eyes. "_I'll_ do it," she said, and sailed up to the roof, Link yelling after her in protest.

Midna had lost patience with this country. It was bad enough that she had been banished from her own, bad enough that she had to depend on someone else to help her get back, bad enough that she was now indebted to Zelda. But then on top of it, they had to get lost in a strange place with its own monsters and bouncing womanizer fleas. She had no idea how either Hyrule or the Twilight Realm was faring in their absence.

On top of all _that_, she was _freezing_. And had been for ages.

"HEY!" she yelled at the retreating demons. "Hey, you! Yeah, you! Watch this!"

She unleashed a flash of shadow magic on the roof of the temple, sending tiles flying and leaving a smoking hole. The owls hooted angrily and stopped their retreat.

"Ooh, you don't like me redecorating your place, do you?" she taunted, giving them a teasing little smile. "You have terrible taste…I suppose it would _upset_ you if I did _this!_" With a blast of magic she decapitated a statue on the patio, sending the owls raging toward her.

She flew down and retreated back into Link's shadow. "Okay, guys. Your turn!"

"Thanks, Midna," Link muttered dryly as the owls slammed their wings through the air toward them.

Issun sprang into action. "All right, this is how it's going to work! Ammy, you knock the monsters off kilter with bombs and wind. Oki, you launch yourself in their faces when Ammy has them disoriented. Link, help Ammy with the bombs, get in a few bites too if you have a chance, and throw in an Exorcism Slip or two if the going gets rough. Everybody clear?"

"Clear!" They answered together, Ammy punctuating it all with a short bark.

As they approached, the Silver demon pulled not ice or rocks out of its hat, but a slimy plant bud that rattled as if angry. Link recognized it from Orochi's Cave.

It landed at Oki's feet; Oki drew Kutone, but Link held him back. "Don't touch the thing!" he shouted.

"He's right!" Issun yelled, as Amaterasu used her Bloom power on it. "You can't pierce its hide."

But now the heroes had been thrown off, and a rock fired from the Gold demon smashed into Link's back. Painfully he picked himself off the ground, just in time to see Oki encased in ice. "Get with the program!" Issun yelled, Amaterasu shattering the ice holding Oki. "You're not gonna let a couple of birdbrains do you in, are you?"

Link stood and reached in to his bomb bag; unfortunately he had only five left. He waited until the Silver demon swooped over him, then threw it. The bomb exploded on the owl's backside and Amaterasu summoned a gust of wind, sending the demon spinning over and over. Oki shifted form, leaped into the air as a human, and raked Kutone's blade across its face.

"That's it! Keep it going!" Issun yelled over the howls of the monster.

"Link, hurry!" Midna yelled from his shadow as he stood with bomb in hand. "The clock and character flags are turning again…if they end up in the same place they did before, we'll get zapped with that paralysis spell again!"

"I only have four bombs!" he snapped. "I need to make them count!"

"What?! Why didn't you buy more?"

"No place to buy bombs here! Amaterasu makes her own, remember?"

Midna cursed. "This had better be the last of these stupid monsters."

Link hurled his bomb at the Gold Demon; Amaterasu, busy with the other, stalled for a moment but managed to unleash a blast of wind just in time. Oki jumped from the Silver one to the Gold.

Pulling another bomb from his bag, Link chased the Gold demon, then skidded to a stop as it whirled round and charged him. Link could not dodge in time. The owl snared the Hylian Hero in its claws, one of them burying itself in his side. Link yelled and flung the bomb at its head; by pure luck it connected, and it dropped Link a good twenty feet with a loud squawk.

Feeling warm blood running down his side, Link struggled to catch his breath, pulling one of the Exorcism Slips from his pocket and slamming it on the ground. A wave of power emanated from it, dealing both owls a stiff blow.

Link retreated to the sidelines and tied one of his last remaining bombs to an arrow. He had less chance of hitting them this way, but he also had run out of healing potion and had no idea when he would be able to find more.

Midna glanced worriedly up at the owls. She noticed the clock beginning to spin back into position. "Oki!" she yelled. "Oki, the clock! Before it stuns us again!"

Oki understood. Leaping upon the owl, he thrust Kutone into the clock, feeling gears strain against the sword, then pop out of place. Gesturing to the gaping hole, Oki yelled, "Bomb it, Link!"

Link tied his final two bombs to an arrow and let it fly as Oki leaped off. The arrow buried itself in Gold demon, which stared stupidly after it for a split second before it disintegrated in a spectacular explosion.

"One down, one to go!" Issun chirped happily.

Link grabbed another Exorcism Slip and ran to Amaterasu's side. Slamming it to the ground, he watched the owl flounder in the magic blast.

"Take a rest!" Issun yelled to him. "We'll finish him off!"

Link ripped a piece of cloth from his tunic and held it up against the wound in his side. Amaterasu and Oki played three more rounds with the Silver demon, then finally sent it crashing into the ground. As if the earth itself were elated by their departure, a patch of wildflowers sprung up where it had landed.

"Are you all right?" Oki asked Link, who nodded. Oki clapped him on the shoulder, ignoring Link's wince. "That's the spirit!"

They both heard a soft whine and turned to see Amaterasu with her tail and ears down, licking Shiranui's wounds. Shiranui stood with some difficulty and gave the travelers a long, mysterious look, then turned around. They all gaped as a small hole, like a rip in the fabric of time and space, opened in front of the wolf and then closed behind it.

"What the heck was all that about?" Midna demanded.

Oki shook his head in puzzlement. "Something very strange is going on…those two wolves, even their scents were the same. How is that possible?"

Link opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by a resounding double blast that nearly shattered his eardrums. Clapping his hands to his ears, he looked up to see two far-off volcanoes erupting with tremendous force.

This terrifying sight brought great joy to Oki. "Our prayers have been answered! The heat of the sacred mountains will drive away the cold and darkness that has plagued us for so long!"

Amaterasu came running up to them. "I know this looks good, but we gotta see how the other villagers are faring," Issun said. "Let's hurry back to the altar!"

Link shifted into wolf form, and the three wolves sped back through the temple toward the lake.


	13. Rainbow Bridge

The earth trembled with the rumblings of the volcanoes, and often the little pack of wolves found themselves falling over if caught on a patch of ice during a particularly violent tremor. But they kept their heads down and their sight directly in front of them, until they reached the lake and Midna let out a sharp yell. "Look at that!" she exclaimed, pulling on Link's ears and gesturing wildly to the lake.

All assembled gaped at the stone ship, now righted and actually _floating_ above the lake, the water no longer frozen. "How the heck do you figure _that_ happened?" Issun wondered aloud.

"Who knows?" Oki muttered, intrigued but occupied with other thoughts. "I can see the others from my village down by the altar. Let's make sure they're all right."

They sped down the path, and found the rest of the village standing around the shoreline in awe and confusion. Kai turned around upon seeing them. "Oh, Oki! Issun! Something incredible has happened!"

"Yeah, we can see that," Issun said dryly. "Any idea what it's all about?"

As they stared up at the huge vessel, a bridge to the door appeared – a bright, translucent rainbow, touching down at the water's edge. Amaterasu barked and walked forward.

Link shifted to human form, and he exchanged puzzled glances with Midna. He walked forward uncertainly, pressing his foot against the bridge, then stepping up upon realizing he wouldn't fall through.

Midna spun around and bowed to the little group assembled at the side of the lake. "Uh, well…it's been surreal. Bye!"

Amaterasu had already trotted nearly to the end of the bridge, but Issun suddenly jumped off her head and stood in front of her. "Wait, Ammy, wait!"

She paused, giving him a puzzled look, Link and Midna coming up behind her. "Look, Ammy…" Issun began slowly, "I'm sorry, but…I can't go any further than this."

"Why not?" Link demanded.

"You can't tell us you're quitting now!" Midna added.

"Look, um, how do I explain this…" Issun hopped around the three friends as he gathered his thoughts. "It's not as if it hasn't been a grand old time, Ammy…we've been through a lot together…"

As he reminisced, Midna leaned her head close to Link's. "What the heck do you suppose this is about?" He shrugged.

"…but anyway…" Issun began wrapping up. "The simple fact is, you're a god, and I'm just a Poncle. I can't come with you this time."

"You have to be a god to go on the ship?" Midna asked, as Link's face showed his crumbling hope for returning home.

"Well, anyway, guys…I guess I'll just have to say so long." Issun turned around and began bouncing back down the bridge. Amaterasu ran after him. "NO, Ammy!" Issun shouted, his voice showing anguish for the first time.

"Issun…" Link stepped forward, but Midna pulled him back, giving him a significant look and shaking her head.

"Ammy, you have to go on, it's your job. I can't help you, okay? I want to, but I can't. Maybe the other two will be able to go with you. If they can, help them get home, all right?" He turned around again and hopped away more quickly. Amaterasu followed.

"Stop right there, furball!" Issun shouted, drawing his sword. Amaterasu stopped short, startled. He flourished his blade in the wolf's face, driving her back as she whined in protest and attempted to stand her ground. "Why don't you listen to me? I can't go, but you do, so go already!" Link nearly tripped over himself as he scrambled out of their way.

"He is right, ma cherie!" a voice called from above, and all heads jerked up to see Waka appear on the side of the ship. "Only those who have the resolve to fulfill their destiny can board this ship!" He gave Issun a knowing smile. "Isn't that right, little Celestial Envoy?"

This title obviously meant something to Issun, for he stared back at Waka, stunned. He recovered quickly. "Well, whatever. I'm not a part of this anymore, anyway. Good luck to you." He turned and started back down the bridge.

"Afraid of the scary ship, are we?" Waka asked softly, still smiling.

"What?" Issun whirled round. "I'm not afraid of anything!" He flourished his tiny sword. "Yeah, I could cut all the monsters to pieces without breaking a sweat!" He bounced back up the bridge, then stopped short in midair as he hit a barrier and fell on his back.

"What in the world?" Link waved his hand in front of him, on the opposite side of the barrier from Issun. Nothing happened.

Waka glanced down at him, and gestured toward his marked hand with his flute. "That's some very strong magic you've got there…strong enough to rival that of the gods. And I assume you have the resolve to fulfill your own destiny?"

Link raised his head and looked him in the eyes, showing him the Triforce of Courage on the back of his hand. "Midna and I are needed back home," he said in a firm, level voice. "We'll do whatever we can to get back there, to lift the darkness that threatens it as it did Nippon."

They whipped around upon hearing a yell from Issum. The rainbow had disappeared, and he fell into the icy waters of the lake. "You all right?" Link and Midna called in unison, as Amaterasu barked.

Issun felt relieved that they couldn't see the look on his face.

"My little friend!" Waka called. "I have a final message for you! You cannot follow Amaterasu, but that does not mean you cannot help her on her quest. Your fates are still tied together, and you know what you must do in order for her to succeed!"

These words made no sense at all to Link and Midna, who jumped back in surprise as the door to the ship began to close. Amaterasu leaped up against the door, once, twice, whining and trying to get a last look at her friend. As the door sealed shut and Amaterasu dropped to the ground, looking dejected, Link reached out and patted her head. She licked his hand.

Midna looked up with a surprised snort. "That fool Waka is gone. Where do you suppose he took off to? He made it sound like he was coming with us."

Link's gaze traveled across the huge room, paths to several doors leading to the center. "Maybe he decided to go on ahead?"

"He could have given us a few pointers. One good thing about Issun, he always knew what to do next, or at least acted like it. Where to start?"

Link unsheathed his sword. "The same place we start back home…at the beginning. I guess we'll have to try each door."

He stepped forward, and a ghostly figure appeared in front of them. Link and Midna leaped back with a yell; the ghosts of Hyrule were not friendly spirits.

But this one was, apparently. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" the plump ghost of a man asked.

The wolf whined and wagged her tail. "Ah, Amaterasu! It's so good to see you again! When Orochi attacked our home, I feared you were lost…"

Link noted that the man didn't look much like the inhabitants of Nippon. "Orochi attacked your home, too? Where are you from?"

The ghost turned to him. "I am from the Celestial Plain, where Amaterasu herself resided before Orochi's attack. We took shelter on this ship, only to find that it housed a huge number of evil spirits. It crashed on the earth, and I'm afraid we all perished."

Midna couldn't feel sorry for this man. "You climbed into a ship full of monsters? What did you expect would happen?"

"It wasn't our ship; we didn't know it was infested with such creatures. It was built by the Moon people, I believe."

None of this made any sense to the two Hylians, so they left it alone. The man turned back to Amaterasu. "The monsters still live here, and you must defeat them first to take back the ship."

"Figures," Midna muttered.

Link looked sadly at his quiver. "I wish I had more arrows."

The man brightened slightly. "I have a few items left over from our departure…if you wouldn't mind leaving an offering, I might be able to give you something to help you."

Link handed over his moneybag. "I don't know if these are worth anything here, but it's all I have."

"As long as it is given in good faith, good sir, that's all that matters." He gestured to a mirror made of three spherical panels. "As you are a warrior, you may be able to use this as a shield. It is called the Trinity Mirror, a reflector that tramples evil with knowledge, faith, and power."

"Somewhat like the Triforce." Link picked it up eagerly, surprised to find that it weighed little or nothing in his hands. He bowed to the ghost in thanks.

The ghost offered a few peaches to the three. "Here's what I have left of the food we brought. Eat up and regain your strength."

They thanked him and left. As they neared the middle platform, Link said to Amaterasu, "How should we go about this? Should we split up, or take each one on together?"

Amaterasu barked and jerked her head toward one door, over which they could see an etching of a gigantic spider carved into the stone. She then nudged Link over toward another door, the etching of which he could not identify. "Split up for now? Okay."

They entered, and almost immediately they heard a roaring sound off to one side. Before Link could move aside, an armored flaming creature wielding two swords, with the body of an ox and one of Orochi's heads, came barreling toward him. Instinctively he raised the Trinity Mirror as a shield.

The creature plowed into him, but he suffered no damage, thanks to the mirror. "That's one powerful piece of magic!" Midna exclaimed.

Sweat poured down Link's forehead, from the heat emitted from the fiery monster. He scowled at it, seemingly bones surrounded by fire. "I don't think we can get close enough to it to cut off its head, like we did with Orochi. What do we do?"

"Let me try something." Midna shifted him to wolf form and unleashed a burst of shadow magic. The orangish current swept through the monster, and its armor shattered apart.

"Good idea!" Link shouted after shifting back, and rammed into the monster with the Trinity Mirror. It stumbled, and Link managed to get in a few good attacks with his sword. Unfortunately, it snapped at him with its dragon's head, and Link jumped back. The monster righted itself and created new armor out of thin air.

"Well, at least we know what to do!" Midna unleashed another burst of shadow magic on it, and Link attacked its unprotected body. After a few rounds of this, the monster fell over for the last time, and disappeared into a wisp of smoke.

They entered the main room again, to find Amaterasu waiting for them. She wagged her tail, and they noticed that all of the etchings except one had turned blue. Midna groaned when she saw it. "Not Orochi _again_."

"At least we know what to do. Strangely, I don't think defeating Orochi is going to end all this."

He was right. After besting the serpent once more, the ghost came up to them, pointing to the platform in the middle of the room, a light now illuminating it. "Your final quest lies through here," he informed them. "A golden-haired man from the Moon civilization has already passed through."

Link frowned. "Who could that be? We've never met anyone else with blonde hair. I got a lot of stares when I came here."

"Who cares?" Midna interjected. "If he's here to help, all the better."

Amaterasu barked her assent.

"All right, I guess it's time to go, then," Link said more to himself than the others, wondering what horrific terror lay ahead of them.


	14. Battle with Yami, Part 1

**Author's Note: Sorry this is taking so long, and that this is only half of a proper chapter. I've had numerous problems, including my computer getting taken hostage by a nasty virus.**

The three found themselves in an enormous room, as big or bigger than the one they'd left, with the constellations of the gods etched into the ceiling like a celestial fresco. They stood on a gigantic stone disc, not unlike the one in the frozen temple of the clockwork owls. For a brief moment all seemed peaceful; then they heard the clash of steel on stone.

They turned to see Waka, swords in hand, battling a giant…ball. _Perhaps it's a shell…he has to crack it to get to the enemy inside,_ Link thought to himself. They ran to Waka's side, and stared in surprise at the many wounds on his body.

"What on earth?" Midna asked. "You got all that from battling a stone ball?"

He paused for breath, and gave her a little smile. "Ah, mon cherie, this is no ordinary ball. This is Yami, the Lord of Darkness, who drove us from our home on the Celestial Plain and killed all the Celestials aboard the Ark where we now stand."

Midna made a face. Link didn't feel any more impressed, but drew his sword. "Well, whatever it is, all of us together should make short work of it."

Suddenly they felt a strange foreboding, as if a shadow had passed over their hearts, and the floor beneath them rumbled. "What's going on?" Link demanded.

"The Day of Darkness is starting," Waka replied gravely.

"The eclipse?" Midna glanced around anxiously. "That shouldn't last more than ten minutes, should it?"

Just as she finished asking the question, the stone ball opened like a flower and a crystal ball rose up out from inside. Midna's face contracted in bewilderment as she caught sight of the creature inside. "The Dark Lord of Evil is a…tadpole?"

Before anyone could answer, Amaterasu suddenly lurched forward in pain. The others stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Finally Amaterasu collapsed forward, her red markings and mirror gone.

Link's hair stood on end as he felt the creature summon an immense amount of power, most of it stolen from Amaterasu. He readied his shield, not at all sure what the thing was capable of.

A brilliant flash of intense energy leaped forward from the crystal ball. At the last moment Waka jumped in front of them all and blocked the beam with his sword.

"You don't have to do this yourself!" Midna cried. "Let us help!"

"You don't understand," Waka puffed, straining hard against the force that threatened to throw him backward. "This is my fault…it was my people, the Moon Tribe, who built this Ark. I thought I could help the Celestials escape Orochi's attack on our home…but I didn't know of the evil creatures that made it their home…"

Suddenly Yami released a double blast of light. Waka managed to receive only a glancing blow, but it tore off the helmet he wore, revealing long, blonde hair. Staggering, Waka said, "My little Hylian friends…you must help Amaterasu to her feet. She must strike down the Darkness and return to her home, for all of our sakes. For if Nippon is cloaked in shadow, it will only strengthen the evil forces in your own country!"

He raised his sword as Yami let forth another blast of energy, but it was too much. The little group watched in horror as he was thrown bodily backwards, over the side.

For a moment they all remained frozen in silence. Then, without any help from anyone, Amaterasu slowly got to her feet. She snarled an echoing challenge, and leaped forward to attack.

"Whoa, look out!" Link pulled Amaterasu out of the way as a gigantic mallet materialized out of nowhere, and narrowly missed getting smashed like a bug. The mallet coalesced back into the ball and came rolling after them, threatening to crush them.

"This is insane," Midna muttered, keeping close to Link's side. "This is completely insane. That thing is a shape-shifter. Ten minutes? Amaterasu will be lucky if she survives one!"

Link fired an arrow at Yami, which just bounced off. "There has to be something we can do to help!"

Midna thought for a moment, then shifted him to wolf form. "I'll see if I can use my own magic to hold it still so she can get a few hits in. Just like blocking rolling Gorons back home. Understand?"

Link barked his assent. He planted himself in front of the rolling ball, standing his ground as it rumbled toward him. Midna unleashed her power and held it still just a few feet in front of them, straining so hard she could hear the blood pounding in her head. Amaterasu slashed and bit at Yami, surprisingly managing to etch a few scratches into its surface.

The mallet appeared again, and this time aimed for Link and Midna. Link jumped nimbly aside, and turned to see Yami going after Amaterasu again. They both grimaced as Yami actually pounded a hole into the stone platfom. "At this rate, there's going to be nothing for us to stand on!" Midna yelled over the din.

Abruptly, the pounding stopped for a moment, and with a flash of light they saw Amaterasu's markings and mirror return to her. After making a swipe at Yami, she leaped over the hole, which mended itself as she did.

Midna stared, then said, "Well, I'm not sure what exactly happened, but it seems like a good thing. Let's hold that ball still so she can beat it up some more!"

Link ran forward to meet the ball and stood snarling as Midna thrust all her will and concentration on it. Amaterasu made several more attacks with her mirror, then abruptly made a funny sound like a hiccup. Amaterasu snarled and they felt a white-hot slash of energy whip across Yami. "I'm not sure how this works, but I think Amaterasu gets more of her power back, the weaker she makes Yami," Midna noted.

To their dismay, Yami lifted itself out of their reach, enveloped in an evil-looking cloud of crackling purple energy. It split itself into slices, one of which lit up with flame, and came chasing after them.

Link caught sight of the crystal ball atop the highest slice. He shifted to human form and fired an arrow at it; to his relief he heard a cry of pain. Shifting back to wolf form again, he climbed the slices as Amaterasu doused the flames with water, shifted once more, and hacked at the ball with his sword.

"Look out!" Midna cried, and Link jumped off just before the ball collapsed into its original shape again. With another hiccup from Yami, Amaterasu growled and unleashed her Bloom technique on it. It burst open like a flower and the crystal ball popped out. All three vented their fury on it until it shook itself out of its stunned state and jumped back into the stone ball again.

Another hiccup. This time a gigantic image of either Susano or Nagi appeared, startling both Link and Midna as it leaped forward and sliced Yami neatly in half. Yet even this didn't finish Yami off. It seemed to evolve a harder shell every time Amaterasu breached its defenses and regained a little more of her power.

"This is getting ridiculous," Midna growled as Yami changed into a huge version of the twin owls' shifting characters, throwing fire, ice, pollen balls or whatever else wound up on its surface when Amaterasu slashed it. "I've never seen anything close to it at home."

Link stayed in human form so he could use his shield; it worked against the flames and pollen balls but not the ice. As Midna freed him from a frozen block for the third time, he shivered and gritted his teeth. "That's one thing I don't miss from back home."

Amaterasu howled and the image of a robed woman appeared. Link gasped as he recognized the Queen who had been killed by Rao. She waved a leafy branch as well as one of the paper sticks they had seen all over holy places, and they instantly felt a little stronger.

"Good to know her techniques can help us too." Link fired a series of arrows at lightning speed; the characters stopped on a blue moon image, and Yami fell to the ground, spitting out the crystal ball.

It retreated again and Yami shifted once more, sprouting mechanical legs and arms of pure energy, looking like a rotund robot. Before anyone could react, it swept its arms back and forth, seizing Link. He yelped in pain, his cry cut off as Yami threw him in an open compartment.

_"LINK!_" Midna flew up to Yami, digging her nails into the sealed door and trying to pry it open with shadow magic. She cried out as Yami wrapped an arm around her and hurled her across the platform. She bounced a few times and came to rest just before the edge, her vision swimming.

Fangs bared and fur bristling, Amaterasu doubled her attack. She called down a fork of lightning and struck one of Yami's arms. Yami whirled round, thrown off balance by the ferocity of the attack, then fell over. The crystal ball as well as Link tumbled out of a door in the back end.

Normally Midna would have laughed at the image of Link falling out of the creature's rear, but this was neither the time nor the place. She rushed to his side, but he looked more surprised than hurt; as Amaterasu slashed at the crystal ball, he whipped out his last Exorcism Slip and hurled it to the ground. The holy light enveloped them all, and the crystal ball jumped back into the robot.

Now Yami pulled out all the stops. Link shifted to wolf form to more easily dodge the flying missiles, waving arms, and enormous heat-ray that vaporized everything in its path. Amaterasu used her Catwalk technique to climb the walls around them and attack from above. Midna wanted to comment on the sheer insanity of it all, but found herself unable to keep together a concrete thought.

Amaterasu barked in triumph as she regained her final power, and unleashed a blizzard of ice on the exposed crystal ball. Link shifted and joined her in the attack. The crystal ball leaped into Yami once more, but with a screeching cry, the stone ball shattered into pieces.

Amaterasu barked, and Link grinned at Midna. "We did it!" he exclaimed. Midna nodded but watched Yami closely, not sure the fight was over yet.

Link turned his attention to Amaterasu, wagging her tail happily as she spied something Link couldn't see. She crouched as if to let forth a mighty howl, then suddenly stopped, puzzled. "What is it?" Link asked her.

She didn't answer of course, but whined sadly and sat down on the floor. After a moment she lifted her head and made a cheerless, hollow howl, which barely penetrated the thick air around them.

_"Link, look out!"_

He turned too slowly upon hearing Midna's cry, and shrieked in pain as Yami, reformed once more, swept them up in its arms with a crushing grip. Midna watched in horror as it drained Amaterasu's power from her, and constricted around Link until he slumped over unconscious.

It threw them both to the ground. Amaterasu could stand, but she stood devoid of her markings and mirror once more. Link lay sprawled on the ground and did not move. Midna flew to his side. He did not seem to be breathing, his face ashen gray. She could not feel his pulse. She shook him in desperation, a dark, cold feeling of horror creeping over her. 

"Link! Link, please wake up!"


	15. Battle with Yami, Part 2

"Little help

"Little help?!"

Kai bent down and dug her hands into the snowdrift, pulling Issun out. "Whew!" he exclaimed. "I forgot how much easier walking is when you let someone else do it for you."

Kai frowned at him. "Issun, you're not just going to leave Amaterasu and her friends behind, are you?"

Oki scowled behind her. "If you give the wrong answer, Issun, I will personally make sure you never set foot in Kamui again."

"Whoa, calm down!" Issun bounced up to the top of Oki's head. "Jeez, you guys don't have much faith in me, do you? I wanna help Ammy, but I can't get on that ship!"

"Isn't there something you can do from here?" Kai asked.

Issun made a face. "I only know of one thing I can do, and I don't know how it will help…"

"Then you must do it," Oki all but shouted at him. "Even though my own quest to awaken Kutone took me down many wrong paths, what good would I have done just sitting at home?"

"We'll help you any way we can," Kai assured him.

"Well…it's a long shot, but…" he glanced down at Oki. "I'll need some good parchment, a few minutes in one of your houses where I can get a bit of light, and somebody to bring me to Nippon."

"I can bring you to Nippon, and you can use the fire in my hut," Oki offered.

"I can get you parchment, and meet you at Oki's hut," Kai added. "But how is any of this going to help Amaterasu?"

"Well, this is going to sound weird, but you know all the stuff Ammy's done for you guys…I'm just gonna remind everybody is all. Remind everybody of who Ammy really is, the Sun God. And if we have enough people supporting her in her fight, she can use that to win."

"It's as good an idea as any," Oki said, a little doubtfully, but he shifted to wolf form and sped back to the hut on the outskirts of Kamui, Kai right behind him.

-&-

After several false starts, spilled ink, and crumpling of paper, Issun presented his painting to the two Oina. "There! Now, that's showing Ammy in all her goddess splendor! What do you think?"

"Oh, she's so beautiful!" Kai exclaimed. "It looks even better than the one your grandfather showed me!"

"I must admit," Oki said grudgingly, "I know little about art, but something in your brushwork pulls at the heart, Issun."

"Then let's get going!" Issun hopped onto Oki's back. "Now that I have the basics down, I can do some more as we go. It's a good thing, too, because I don't think we have much time!"

Oki raced through the subterranean tunnel and out through the fields, headed first toward Kamiki Village. Kushi, working in her fields, took no notice of the wolf until she heard Issun's squeaky voice call to her from it. She ran up to him in surprise. "Issun, who is this? It's not Snowy."

"No time for explanations, babe." Issun handed her one of his paintings. "Look, I know from your little escapade in Nagi's cave that you and Susano at least know who Ammy really is."

"Oh, my!" Her surprise showed on her face. "I had a feeling…but I never dreamed that…"

She called Susano over to her, and handed him the parchment. "My brother in arms is in trouble?" he grunted irately. "Well, the great warrior Susano won't stand for it! Though…er…do we really have time to run over there?"

"Just show that to everyone in the village," Issun instructed him. "I gotta deliver these to the other people that we've helped over the past few months. I'll be back!"

-&-

"It's been _way_ too dark for _way_ too long," Issun grumbled as he stood in the middle of Kamiki Village, its inhabitants clustered around him, his voice betraying his worry. "That furball's probably spacing out somewhere."

The fireworks master squinted at the sky, then bent down next to Issun. "That god certainly had a lot of fire in its spirit. Do you think I should send up a few sparks for encouragement?"

"Or some cherry cakes?" Mrs. Orange suggested.

"I'm sure Ammy would love both, but I don't think she can see either one from where she is," Issun replied doubtfully. "I think she can tell we're thinking about her, though. C'mon, everybody. Ammy's helped all of us out a lot over the past few months, and we gotta let her know that we appreciate her, even if she's not slaying monsters or sprouting trees. Give her a prayer…and let her know we're thinking of her…"

-&-

"Come on, Link, come on," Midna muttered over and over, shaking his shoulder and slapping his face, her actions getting more frantic as he continued to lie still. Tears stung her eyes as his face turned even more ashen by the minute, though she could not tell if it was his skin or the room darkening further. "Come on, you can't be dead, we haven't even gotten home yet! You promised me you'd help me take my country back! Not to mention your own! What's everybody going to do if you don't come back?"

Suddenly a bright light blinded her. Raising her hand to her eyes, she squinted at this new threat, trying to determine what it was.

A shining white form took shape, edged in crimson, of a wolf with tendrils of light flowing from its body. A mirror that seemed to possess the radiance of the sun flared on its back. Stunned, Midna demanded, "_Amaterasu?_"

Bathed in ethereal light, the wolf stepped over to Midna and licked her hand; she felt a healing warmth flow through her entire body. Amaterasu whined and bent her head down over the motionless young man, licking his face.

The three-triangle mark on Link's hand suddenly appeared, and shone forth with a fierce glow. To Midna's immense relief, Link stirred and opened his eyes. "What on earth…?" he said to the divine vision in front of him.

Amaterasu bowed like a puppy at play, wagging her tail and barking. The other two looked at each other. "I think she wants you to shift," Midna suggested.

Link did so. Amaterasu raised her head and let forth a powerful howl that resonated throughout the room; his hackles rising, Link joined her. With another, sharper, commanding howl, Amaterasu summoned the sun and lit up the dark room.

The two wolves leaped forward and attacked Yami. It shifted form into a disembodied hand, balling into a fist and smashing down, but both wolves leaped clear. With howl after howl Amaterasu summoned sunlight, fire, ice, wind, and water. Link and Midna held Yami down as Amaterasu struck the stone hand again and again.

Yami summoned fire, rocket bombs, and poisonous gases. The wolves leaped clear with little effort. When Yami put out the light as if throwing a switch, Amaterasu summoned the sun once more.

Finally, the giant ball let forth a screeching, anguished cry that split stone and made ears bleed. It trembled and sputtered, dark energy scattering around it in waves.

Then, like a nightmare driven away by daylight, it vanished, leaving the Ark and its constellations in its bluish light.

"We did it!" Midna exclaimed as Link shifted back to human form, nearly knocking him over as she hugged his neck. Hearing him gasp for breath, she let go abruptly and pretended that nothing had happened.

"Well, that's finally over. Now how do we get off this thing, and back home?" Link asked no one in particular.

They both turned as they heard Amaterasu make several eager, happy barks. To their consternation they saw Waka rise up from the depths below, alive and well. "Well done, my friends!" he exclaimed.

"You lazy bum," Midna snapped in a half-angry, half-mocking manner. "Decided to take a nap while we did all the work, huh?"

He chuckled, "Ah, my dear, we all played a part, including your little bouncing friend." Amaterasu leaped up onto the platform and began licking Waka's face as he laughed.

Becoming slightly more serious, he motioned for the other two to join him. "But I will confess, we are greatly in your debt. Allow us to repay part of it upfront, by giving you a ride home." Clambering onto the platform with Midna floating after him, Link stared in amazement as Waka pushed a few buttons and the walls around them turned into windows on the world.

"This old thing really _can_ get us home?" Midna's jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

"Now, now! It's actually a very sophisticated piece of equipment!" Waka grinned at her. "It's just been overrun with vermin for a long, long time. We can easily bring you back to Hyrule."

Link sighed in relief as Midna suppressed a cheer. _Finally, finally we are going home!_

Great white sails appeared on the silver ship, and it slowly turned northward, away from the stunned inhabitants of Kamui. "We have much to do back at the Celestial Plain," Waka told them, "as we have been absent for a long while, and it doubtless was left in ruin. But we will not forget our debt, and we will visit you soon…Issun too, most likely. I can't imagine he would turn an opportunity like this down."

"Yeah, think of all the pretty girls he'd miss out on," Midna grumbled.

Link couldn't help but laugh. As tiring as the journey had been, and as eager as he was to return home, he didn't want to leave his new friends just yet. "We will be happy to accept any help you give us," he told Waka. "We have already walked a very long, dark path at home, and it will only get darker as we go on."

Amaterasu rubbed her head against his hand; he bent down and petted her, scratching her behind the ears. "You can light the way, and Issun can provide us with a little comic relief when things get too grim. All right, all right, enough doggy kisses," he added as she licked his face.

He and Midna watched the fields of Nippon disappear behind them as the silver ship climbed over the tops of the highest mountains, even the twin volcanoes of Kamui. As they reached the peaks, Midna stretched out her hand toward a little patch of brownish green. "Look, you can see Hyrule Field from here!"

"Is that where you would like us to take you?" Waka asked.

"Actually…" Link leaned over the edge of the platform. "We were looking for something in the mountains when we first came to Nippon, but I don't want to wind up in another snowstorm…"

Midna pointed just off to their left. "Look, there's a big house down there…it looks kind of shabby, but it should provide some shelter at least."

As the ship floated just to the side of the ancient mansion, the two Hylians hugged Amaterasu and shook hands with Waka one last time. "You'd better make good on your promise," Midna said, half-jokingly.

Amaterasu barked sharply and wagged her tail, as if insulted that Midna could even suggest that they wouldn't.

Link shifted to wolf form and jumped down onto the snow, Midna on his back. He barked and Midna waved as the ship slowly floated back the way it came. "And tell that Issun there's plenty of treasure to be had," Midna shouted after it. "Rupees in every pot, and treasure chests in every cave!"

_That'll make him come running,_ Link thought to himself as he loped quickly to the entrance of the mansion.


End file.
